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Lee Valley Outlook - Mar 15 2012 v9e6

Lee Valley Enterprise Board Message

St. Patrick's Day is nearly upon us once again and this year's Parade is shaping up

to be one of the biggest ever. Please read the program of events, but we would like

to point out a few items:

1. Please be in Macroom no later than 2.30 p.m. The N22 road through the town will close at 3 p.m and a diversion will operate until the Parade is over. We have had many disappointed families who missed the Parade in the past, so please be on time. You'll be entertained on the streets from 2 p.m.

2. The Parade will start at 3.30 p.m sharp. All participants should be at the Bowl Road no later than 2.30 p.m.

3. Please co-operate with the stewards.

4. There will be no Fireworks this St. Patrick's night

5. Don't forget our St Patrick's Gala Concert in the Briery Gap, featuring St. Mary's School, Macroom who won the All Ireland Light Entertainment competition and, for the first time in their 83 year history, The Woodland String Band, winners of the Philadelphia Mummers Parade. Tickets are only €10 and there is FREE admission into the Céilí in the Castle Hotel afterwards.

The St Patrick's Day Committee would like to thank all our sponsors, but a special word of deep gratitude goes to Macroom Town Council and its members who have supported the Parade for the past decade....Míle Míle Buíochas. Again, please try to be in Town no later than 2.30. The Parade will start on time and the committee would like to wish everybody a very Happy St Patrick's Day.

Lee Valley Diary

Briery Gap:

Sat. March 17 at 8.30p.m. St. Patrick's Day Concert

Sun. and Mon. March 18 and 19 at 7.30p.m. Starmakers' Mamma Mia

Sat. and Sun. March 24, 25 Becoming Fame-ous.

Mon. March 26 @ 2p.m. Classic cinema The Quiet Man

Macroom Library:

Ciorcal Gaeilge: Fri. Mar. 16 @ 10.30a.m.

Penn Junior Bookclub: Fri. 16th Mar. 4pm.

Gramophone Recital: Mon. April 16 @ 11a.m.

Macroom Senior Citizens: Fr. Ryan Hall

Tues. March 20 @ 7.30: Health Talk and Social

Every Wed.: Dance and Drama 11a.m.; Painting 3p.m.

Every Thurs. Bingo 8.30p.m.

Every Fri. Line Dancing 2p.m.

Ciorcal Gaeilge on Fri. Mar. 16th at 10.30. a.m. in Macroom Library.

Aghinagh Comhaltas Fleadh fundraiser, Cill na Martra, Fri. March 16.

Coppeen St. Patrick's Day Parade: Sat. March 17 3p.m.

Macroom St. Patrick's Day Parade: Sat. March 17 3.30p.m.

Carriganima St. Patrick's Parade: Sun. March 18.

Macroom Tidy Towns Church Gate Collection, Sat. and Sun. March 17 and 18.

We are pleased to publicise Lee Valley functions, fundraisers, sports events etc. in this fortnightly diary. Please email information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; telephone 026 41891 or post to Killarney Road, Macroom by the Monday before publication. Remember you can access back issues of the Lee Valley Outlook at www.macroom.ie

Arts Minister for National Drama Final

The 12th annual All Ireland Transition Year Drama Festival played out in the Briery Gap, Macroom in an all day session on March 3. Thirteen finalists from schools, stretching from Donegal to Kerry and Westmeath to Cork, displayed a huge wealth of talent, initiative and energy in adaptations of recognised plays and in original material created by students and teachers. Great variety was evident in theme and presentation, which was fortunate for adjudicators Geoff Gould of Blood in the Alley Theatre and Patrick Fitzpatrick (Zumo from Fair City), as they undertook the marathon session, starting at 11a.m.

Mr. Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, was guest speaker at the presentation of awards. He congratulated Manager Anne Dunne and all involved in initiating and developing this most successful national competition and remarked on the very high standard of the productions. Ireland has a wealth of dramatic talent, he declared and this is nurtured by events such as Transition Year drama. He expressed his appreciation of the benefits accruing from the Transition Year Option in the educational system, which allows for personal development and the enrichment of talents distinct from the academic. The Minister said that Patrick Fitzpatrick was proof of that, since he went on to make a career on the stage, having competed in the National Drama final with Ballymun Comprehensive just six years ago.

St. Joseph's, Doon, Co. Limerick were declared overall winners and were presented with the Mullingar Arts Trophy and €1,000 for 'MmmBeth', a comic re-write of Shakespeare's tragedy. The witty witches, beautifully costumed and choreographed earned a Special Award. Second prize went to the 2011 winners, C.B.S. Mullingar. Their 22 man cast performed 'Redemption', a stark presentation of the Jews in Nazi Poland, which concluded most effectively with a roll call of man's continuing inhumanity to man in a series of tyrannical regimes. Sean Lynch was awarded Best Director for this show. King's Hospital, Palmerstown, Dublin won Third Best Overall with their production of Lorca's 'The House of Bernarda Alba'. Their symbolic black and white theme won them the award for Best Costumes and the nurse, Tara O'Neill, got Best Supporting Role award. McEgan College, Macroom won the Mairead and Seamus Barry Perpetual Trophy for Best Previous Non Prizewinner with 'Brothers of Destruction', a boxing drama highlighting the dangers of the use of steroids. The Roger Healy Perpetual Trophy for Best Performance went to Maeve Mulcahy, the narrator in a hilarious Wild West show presented by St. Mary's, Charleville. Scoil Mhuire gan Smál, Blarney got a Special Award for their play, 'Put up the Rent', and alternative and ironic take on rackrenting and eviction in 19th century Ireland. St. Wolstan's, Celbridge, Co Kildare got a Special Award for 'Tich' in the dramatisation of Wendy Cope's poem, Tich Miller, which deals with bullying, isolation and suicide. The Dermot Bradley Perpetual Trophy for Best Stage Set, Lighting, Design went to Ard Scoil Rís, Limerick for their set in an adaptation of Martin McDonagh's 'Cripple of Inishmaan'. Best Original Script Trophy went to Coláiste Cholmcille, Donegal for their stark dramatisation of schoolboy suicide, resulting from unemployment, failed romance and bullying. Runners up trophies also went to St. Mary's, Macroom for their adaptation of Romeo and Juliet; Milltown, Co. Kerry for 'A Desperate Housewife'; Newport, Co. Tipperary for 'Miracle Worker', the story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan and C.B.S. Kilkenny for a modernistic, post nuclear play, 'Rabbit'.

Macroom Senior Citizens' A.G.M.

Pat O'Connell, Chairman Macroom Senior Citizens, described 2011 as having been very difficult during his address at the recent A.G.M. in the Fr. Ryan Hall but said he wished to thank all those who helped to keep services up and running despite serious challenges. He went on to say that in the midst of national and international crises, Macroom Senior Citizens continued to concentrate on providing local responses to local problems, despite reduced funding and increasing expenses. He issued a plea for making the well being of the ordinary citizen, particularly the elderly, a priority and stressed the importance of keeping older people in their own localities. 2011 was nevertheless a very successful one for the Senior Citizens, with all services running to full capacity. The sheltered housing in Sullane Place and the residential centre in Sullane Haven operated successfully and Mr O'Connell thanked the HSE South for funding, without which the facilities could not continue to function. But Macroom Senior Citizens had to fundraise to make up shortfalls and the chairman thanked the voluntary workers in The Shopeen (open every Saturday at Fr Ryan Hall), Sullane Art Society, De La Salle students MCA and the Castle Hotel's Clowning Around for much appreciated donations. A major fundraiser in November was the publication of the book of photographs 'Muskerry through the lens of Dennis Dinneen', which is much valued by all who purchased it and a tribute to the life work of Dennis Dinneen. Mr O'Connell thanked Clare Dinneen and her family for nominating the Senior Citizens as the beneficiaries of the profits from sales and thanked the book's compilers, Sean and Máire Mac Suibhne, for the time and effort they put into its publication. Ms Lisa Cashman of West Cork Development Partnership was thanked for all her help with funding the printing of the book. It is the hope of Macroom Senior Citizens to develop a day service to meet the needs of people who suffer from dementia in the Macroom area and discussions have taken place on how to further develop this idea. Mr O'Connell concluded his report with renewed thanks to all who help and expressed the hope that despite the difficult times, the organisation will be able to provide the same level of services in 2012 as they have in the past.

Honours for Castle Hotel

The four star Castle Hotel, Macroom, recent winner of Trip Advisor 2012 Travellers' Choice Award, has now been nominated in the 2012 Wedding Supplier Awards for Best Venue in Munster. This is a wonderful recognition of over 60 years of Wedding Tradition at The Castle Hotel. Don & Gerard Buckley & all the team are delighted with the honour. More details at http://www.realweddings.ie/press/2012/02/woscars-2012-vote-now/

Aisling MacDonnell, Aherla, has just been appointed Deputy General Manager of the Castle Hotel. Aisling will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of the hotel. Part of her roles and responsibilities will include managing the strong wedding market within the hotel. Aisling has a wealth of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. She holds a Masters in Human Resource Management, a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with Human Resource Management and a Diploma in International Hotel Management with French from Shannon College of Hotel Management. Prior to taking on this position, she worked in a number of International high profile hotels which included the Four Seasons Hotel, Doha in Qatar, The Sheraton Aerogolf Hotel in Luxembourg, The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh and the Oriel House Hotel in Cork. Aisling also spent a period of her career working with Visit Scotland, which is Scotland's national tourism organisation. She will report to Owner, Don Buckley who commented "Aisling is a fantastic addition to the Castle Hotel team and, with her international expertise and knowledge, we welcome her strengths in developing the Castle. We would like to take this opportunity in wishing her every success on her professional journey with the hotel". Commenting on her new role, Aisling said "I am fortunate to secure a position with the Castle in progressing my career. I will be working alongside an extraordinary award winning team which are highly skilled. The Castle Hotel is celebrating 61 years in business this year and I welcome the opportunity in building my career with the team at the Castle Hotel".

March Gramophone Recital

Peter O'Regan presented a delightful variety of music in Macroom Library on March 12, in which he paid tribute to Seachtain na Gaeilge, St. Patrick's Day and National Tree Week. His opening number in a very international selection was Philip Souzo's 'Liberty Bell', recognising the contribution of Philadephia's Woodland String Band to festivities in Macroom since the beginning of the century. This was followed by a selection of reels on the accordion from Galway's Joe Burke and Susanne Murphy singing 'I dreamt I dwelt in Marble Halls' from Balfe's Bohemian Girl. John McCormack sang 'Trees', a beautiful musical adaptation of Joyce Kilmer's poem of the same name. Cork's Cara O'Sullivan made a CD recently for Marymount Hospice and Peter chose 'We'll gather Lilacs', from Ivor Novello's 'Perchance to Dream' from this CD. Nelson Eddie's 'Rosemarie' was followed by 'The Prayer', sung by Welsh soprano, Katherine Jenkins and the first half of the programme concluded with 'A Policeman's Lot is not a Happy One', from Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance'. After refreshments, the capacity audience enjoyed the Trish Trash Polka by Johann Strauss 11. Antonin Dvorak's 'Song to the Moon' preceded Luciano Pavarotti's performance of Questa o Quella from Verdi's Rigoletto. 'Laura's Theme' from Dr. Zhivago was played by Andre Rio and his orchestra, followed by Handel's Largo, Ombra mai fou, sung by Judith Malafronte. Richard Tauber's Summer Night and Mario del Monaco's Love's Last Word preceded Andrea Boccelli with Grenada and the Cambridge Singers performing The Beauty of the Earth concluded a most enjoyable morning's music.

Librarian, Christine Cronin, will present the April Gramophone recital on Monday 16 at 11a. m.

Macroom Library

Many thanks to all those who came along to the Ciorcal Gaeilge on Friday, March 9th. Many of those present were keen to continue the trend and will meet again on Friday 16th at 10.30. a.m. Bí ann gan teip. Thanks also to Peter O'Regan, our music presenter for March. An enjoyable morning was had by all.

Penn Junior Bookclub has been chosen to be one of 10 junior juries nationally to decide on the winners of The Bisto Irish Books of the Year awards. This is a great honour and responsibility for us and our members and all are very excited about it. We will need to meet more often during the next 2 months in order to get through the volume of reading and critiquing necessary. Next meeting, Friday 16th March at 4p.m. Penn Bookclub is currently full but names of potential members are being taken at the desk. It is aimed at enthusiastic readers between 9-12 who would enjoy sharing their hobby with like minded boys and girls.

The Household Charge Form (which should be in by the end of March) is available at the library. We do not have forms for the Septic tank charge.

During March we are hosting an Exhibition of the latest works of Rose Foley, B.A Fine Art. She is a contemporary artist living and working in Ballineen. The library will be closed on Saturday 17th and Monday 19th March. We will re-open at 10.00 on Tuesday March 20th.

Briery Gap Programme

Sulán Film Society presents Sensation, Tom Hall's comedy/ love story of a farmer and prostitute at 8.30 p.m. on Monday, March 26 @ 8.30p.m. Admission €7. Although uncomfortably ugly at times and very melancholic in tone, it's also said to be quite humorous and its message optimistic.

Live Theatre:

St. Patrick's Day Concert: Saturday, March 17 at 8.30p.m. LVEB presents the Woodland String Band; St. Mary's Choir in concert. Admission €10.

Macroom Stage School presents Becoming Fame-ous on Saturday March 24 at 7.30p.m. and Sunday 25 at 3p.m. and 7.30p.m. Come and support the talented youth of Macroom and beyond, a great night's entertainment. Tickets €12 Concessions €8.

Local TV Programmes

Sun. March 18: 5.30 p.m. International St. Patrick's Day Mass from Macroom 2012

6.30p.m. News and Sport. St. Patrick's Day concert from St. Joseph's N.S. Macroom.

8 p.m. LTV 2 Repeat Programme.

9.30 Special production of music and song, featuring the late Johnny Donegan.

Wed. March 21: 9.30 p.m. News and Sport; St. Patrick's Day 2012 from Macroom.

Snippets

Contact information: Please email text and/or photographs to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; telephone 026-41891 or post to Lee Valley Outlook, Killarney Road, Macroom by the Monday before publication. (Photos by Friday before publication)

Craobh Laichtín Naofa CCE will hold a fundraising seisiún ceoil in The Crois, Cill na Martra on Friday 16th March to raise funds for the upcoming Fleadh Cheoil in Macroom. Also on the 31st March there will be a Flag day in Macroom where there will be music, song & craic all day long. Any further details required contact me on 086-3256751.

Mamma Mia in Macroom: Starmakers, Macroom's long established drama school, will present Mamma Mia as their annual production in the Briery Gap Theatre Macroom on Sunday March 18th and Monday March 19th at 7.30 p.m. The romantic comedy musical is based on the songs of the successful pop group ABBA and features such numbers as Money,Money , Dancing Queen and Supertrouper. Lead roles are played by Kimberley Herlihy (Sophie); Michael Dineen (Sky); Muireann O'Connor (Donna); Rachel Forbes (Tanya) and Taylor Hickey (Rosie). Tickets for the show are on sale from the Theatre Box Office (026) 41793

Senior Citizen Health Information Seminar & Social Evening run in conjunction with Cork County Federation Muintir na Tire Ltd. will be held in the Fr. Ryan Hall on Tuesday 20th March, starting at 7.30pm. Subjects for discussion include: 7.45pm:- Healthy Diet (Foods which help to relieve inflammation); 8.30pm:- "Just Can't Wait" a witty but interesting talk on incontinence. Admission is free.

Macroom Senior Citizen Social will be held in the Fr. Ryan Hall on Tuesday, March 20th at 9.15pm (after Health Seminar). Music by John White.

Muskerry Local History Society will host a lecture by John O'Connell on the subject of Female Transportation to Australia on Tuesday, March 20th at 8p.m. Commencing in 1827 with the voyage of the sailing ship 'Elizabeth' from Cork with female convicts to Australia, the presentation traces this and subsequent transportation of females to Australia and their belated road to recognition through 'Roses From the Heart'. The lecture will take place in the Ballincollig Rugby Club (Tanner Park) Clubhouse. Admission €3 for non-members. Everyone most welcome.

Golden Oldies: The Briery Gap and Macroom Senior Citizens are launching a short season of classic films in the cinema on the last Monday of each month at 2pm. The season starts on Monday, March 26th, with the very popular The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. High Noon will follow on April 30 and An American in Paris will be screened on May 28. Admission is just €4.

Kilmichael Rovers F.C. - are holding a fundraising Race Night in Dromey's Bar, Droumcarra on the 30th March at 9 pm. Fun night at the races guaranteed

West Cork Book Bonanza: Bring one book and take away 3 books at Cox's Hall, Dunmanway, Sat. March 31 and Sun. April 1, 12 noon to 5p.m. Fantastic collection of books to suit adults and children of all ages. Admission €5. All proceeds in aid of The Friends of Dunmanway Community Hospital.

Cork Gramophone Circles, in association with Alzheimer's Association, will present a Gramophone Recital at the Imperial Hotel on Sunday, April 1 at 8p.m., at which Kenneth O'Callaghan will present a lovely evening of music an song. Light refreshments served. Admission €10.

Macroom Flower and Garden Club Wedding Extravaganza Floral Demonstration with Eileen O'Brien, Kinsale on Thursday, April 19 at 8p.m.

Senior Citizen Holiday: The keenly anticipated annual holiday will be based at the Castle Court in Westport, Co Mayo in 2012. Holiday makers from Macroom and district will spend five nights from Sunday, May 20th to Friday, May 25th in the comfortable, four star hotel in the west of Ireland. The group will travel by coach to and from Macroom and enjoy four daily tours, five nights bed and breakfast and five evening meals with nightly entertainment in the hotel at a cost of €350 per person sharing (€10 extra per night for those who wish to have a single room). All interested are asked to book as soon as possible with the organisers, Regina Casey and Evelyn McSweeney.

Pilgrimages: The annual Cloyne Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes is on June 1 - 6 and booking forms are available from Joe Walsh Tours in Cork. For details of the Special Sick/Assisted section, the parish secretary should be contacted at 022-20276. A Mid Cork pilgrimage to Fatima will run September 10 – 14 and will be led by Spiritual Director, An tAthair Dónal Ó Briain. All details from O'Driscoll Travel (026-41342).

Student Exchange: For the 19th successive year, second level students from De la Salle College and St. Mary's, Macroom and De la Salle College Bordeaux are completing an exchange programme which exposes them to another environment, language and culture. 37 Macroom 2nd and 4th year students are currently in France, returning home on March 16 with their French counterparts. 38 children and 4 teachers will arrive in Macroom from the Italian town of Marcallo con Casone on March 21st and stay with the families of students from De la Salle until March 28. A 1st year group from De la Salle will make a return visit to Italy in late April.

Muskerry Macra are hosting the 2nd round of Senior Debating in Coolcower House on March 24th @ 8pm. Teams taking part are Donoughmore v Bantry & Kilmacthomas v Freemount. On the 31st March & 1st April Muskerry will be hosting the National Semi-Final of Drama in the Briery Gap, Macroom. Muskerry Macra recently held the regional round of basketball & volleyball and both were won by Terelton. Best of Luck to them in upcoming finals.

Dromleigh N.S. : Enrolment forms are now available from Dromleigh N.S for children who will be starting school in September 2012. There will also be an Open Night on Thursday 22nd March from 7 pm to 8pm. Forms and information from the school at 026 46212.

CONNECT Business Network Meeting which was held at Macroom E on Wednesday, March 7. These business meeting are held on the first Wednesday of every month to facilitate local businesses getting to know each other and what services and products are available locally. Guest speakers for March were Jeroen Proos and Rene Van Willigen of Human & Kind Skincare.

Teacher's Retirement: Mrs Margaret Lehane, Terelton, who taught in Inchigeela N.S. for 32 years, retired at the end of February and children, parents, staff, former teachers, family and friends assembled at the school to pay tribute and make presentations to this very popular teacher.

Kilmichael Tea Party: The GAA Clubrooms in Annahala was the venue for a very successful Tea Party in aid of Macroom Hospital Upgrading recently. This first big event in the newly-built facility attracted a very large number of Kilmichael people and their friends. After a very warm and sociable session at the tables, the crowd danced to the music of Teddy Crowley and Jerome Coakley. The event raised €4,655 and this sum was presented to Macroom Hospital by Fr Jerry Cremin and Margaret McCarthy.

Sightsavers winner: Carolyn O'Donovan, a pupil of Tirelton N.S., recently won the Sightsavers Junior Painter Awards 2011 National Awards with her painting 'Peace in the World'. She was presented with the award by Don Conroy and John Fleming in the National Botanic Gardens on Wednesday, 22nd February, a fantastic achievement for her and the school. She was one of 16 National Winners out of a total of 5,000 entries. Photographs can be seen on www.tireltonns.ie/pupils or on www.kilmichael.org

Macroom Lottos: No Jackpot winners again this week. In the Macroom GAA lotto the jackpot will stand at €4.200. Recent winners of €70 were Alice McSweeney and Don Lynch. In the Macroom Soccer Club draw the €80 main consolation prizes were won by B O'Keeffe c/o D Kelly and Michael Mungovan; the jackpot now stands at €3,000.

Lee Valley Updates

Coppeen Prepares for 41st St Patrick's Day Festival

For the 41st consecutive year, Coppeen St Patrick's Day committee is busy finalising plans for this year's parade and festival which is expected to be the biggest and the most colourful in the history of the event. Local organisations will compete to present the best float and win the top prize, the Tim Sheehan Perpetual trophy, and generous prize money. The parade will this year benefit from the inclusion of vintage cars tractors and motor bikes, which will bring extra colour and excitement to the whole event. A new and exciting extension to the 2012 festival is a busking competition that is strongly supported by the organising committee, with the provision of €200 in prize money. Other important aspects of the festival program include children's sports, the loft of the bowl, horseshoe pitching, bowl pitching, best spray of shamrock, best dressed lady for St Patrick's Day and a host of other attractions. St Patrick's Day this year falls on a Saturday, which will make the festival a week - end event, allowing sufficient time to ''wet the shamrock' to celebrate Coppeen's long St Patrick's Day history and tradition. Bí ann gan teip Lá 'le Pádraig, 3p.m. sa Chaipín

Clondrohid Updates

Showstoppers are back in Clondrohid Community Hall on April 10, 12, 13, 14 with 'O What a night', a truly wonderful show with numbers from Les Mis, Jersey Boys and The Blues Brothers. Pre-booking is recommended at 086/8575153 after 3pm from March 20. To date the group has given over €23,500 to charity and this year's nominated charity is Build 4 Life Cystic Fibrosis. Rehearsals are in full swing under the watchful eye of producer, Catherine Long and a host of volunteers are on hand to erect a young man board and fit a new stage extension. Showstoppers will be taking part in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Macroom so come along and join them! Cancer Research Fundraiser: Clondrohid is once again taking to the roads for Cancer. Remember the date Saturday March 31. Come out and support this great cause, and have some fun while so doing. The run, jog or walk will start at the G.A.A. grounds at 3pm and proceed to Carriganima and back. Later that evening there will be entertainment and raffle in the local Tavern. Contact 021 4544400 or 0872420735.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day: This year St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday and Carriganima will hold off till Sunday March 18 to hold their parade. A great turnout with plenty entertainment will be the order of the day. So come along and support a small community. There will be music and dancing later in the evening. Marion and Sledge provide the music at the Bell Inn on St. Patrick's night. Taxi service available.

G.A.A. Bishop McEgan College senior football team went through to the Munster V.E.C. Senior "C" Final which was held in Charleville on March 8 .They met St. Michael's Community College from Kilmihill Co. Clare. Eleven of the fifteen players who started were from Clondrohid, a great achievement for one parish. They played well and it was a good game with class football being played. McEgan College were four points ahead when unfortunately St. Michael's ended up winning by one point. Well done to all the players for getting to the final. On Monday March 19, the U.14 footballers will play Whites cross in Whites cross at 4.30pm. Check locally in case of any change.

Masterchef Finalist Cooks at Mills Inn

Masterchef finalist contestant, Christine O'Sullivan, showed off her culinary skills with 5 nights of cooking demonstrations at The Mills Inn Ballyvourney. Christine based her demos on healthy, nutritious eating and covered lots of easy and simple dishes in her 5 theme nights .First night consisted of a three course Dinner Party; the second night dealt with Healthy Options; third night went Italian and fourth night was Classic French Cuisine. What was great about each night is that the 60 people attending the cooking demo got tasters from each course and Christine made it so personal. On the fifth and final night she surpassed herself, cooking up a 4 course mouthwatering and quirky dinner for all her students. All wines on the night were sponsored by Christy Wines. Also attending was Chilean wine producer and expert, Javier Paredes from "Torreon De Paredes" who has built a strong business relationship with the Mills. Torreon De Paredes is a small wine producer; their wines are young, fresh and well-structured, with intense fruit aromas. The Mills Inn is proud to announce the launch of their Food & Wine club. To join: contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Mills Inn kitchen will now be sourcing all their beef from the O'Leary family farm. John O'Leary, Don's brother, will be supplying the Mills with his Angus beef which will be hung for 30 days and butchered by Siopa De Róiste, Ballyvourney. The quality and taste of this Black Angus beef is really special and is tender & succulent.

Changing Times at St. Lachteen's

When the school doors opened on March 1st at St. Lachteen's N.S., Donoughmore, some familiar faces were missing. Anne O'Hanlon, a teacher in the school since 1973 and Siobhan O'Connell, a teacher in the school since 1980, had retired. Carl O'Brien, the Principal for 5 years, was also now in his new school, the North Mon. An era had surely come to an end. For it is true to say that generations of boys and girls in the Donoughmore area have fond memories of all these teachers in the school. Indeed the school pulled out all the stops to mark their departures, with special school assemblies and presentations, small gestures to mark the departure of the much loved teachers. Although staff and pupils greatly miss Anne, Siobhan and Carl, they equally welcome to the school new faces. In fact the school is delighted to welcome Colm Horgan, Micheál McSweeney and Caitrín Murphy to the staff. The school is especially excited at the appointment of Deirdre Kelleher as Principal. Deirdre, who lives in the parish of Donoughmore, has been with the school for the last ten years and her knowledge of the pupils, her enthusiasm for the curriculum and her dedication to the school is already seen in her plans for the school progressing forward. Indeed for anyone interested in finding out more about St Lachteen's, they are hosting an open night on March 27th at 7pm to which all are welcome.

Confirmation at Farran

On Feb. 29th the children in 6th class in Ovens and Farran National schools were confirmed by Bishop Coveney in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farran. Scoil Naomh Muire Farran has a long tradition where the children who received their Confirmation come in to school the following day dressed up in their "Confirmation Clothes" and mid morning, the entire school population assembles in the hall and the 'strong and perfect Christians' take to the catwalk for a mini fashion show. In 2012, two past pupils of the school attended the fashion show - Cherifa was doing work experience as part of transition year and Liadh was doing teaching practice. Both girls have warm memories of their Confirmation day and showing off the fashions on the following day.

Agri-Food again on WCDP Menu

West Cork Development Partnership (WCDP) is pleased to announce that funding is now available to support the creation and development of agri-food enterprises in West Cork. Funding at a rate of 40% and up to a maximum value of €200,000 is available to micro, small and medium enterprises adding value to agri-food products. This is a reversal of the E.C. decision in early 2011 to exclude Leader support/ grant aid for such enterprise. However, on March 5, it was announced that €5 million was allocated to the sector for 2012/2013 - not a huge amount for the entire country, so the WCDP is encouraging businesses with project proposals to get in contact with Development Officer Kevin Santry, on 023 8834035 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., at their earliest convenience. Mr. Santry declared that: "The announcement is particularly exciting given the fact that it opens the door for us to offer supports to small and medium businesses in the food sector as well as micro-enterprises. I would definitely be encouraging food enterprises in West Cork that are looking to invest in their business to get in touch with me as soon as possible."

SMILE Resource Exchange Welcomes 500th Member

SMILE Resource Exchange reached a significant milestone by welcoming its 500th member to the initiative for businesses that encourages the exchanging of resources in order to save money, reduce waste going to landfill and to develop new business opportunities - based on the concept that "one person's waste could be another's resource". Adhesives Research Ireland, the milestone member, was welcomed at an innovative business networking event at Castlemartyr Resort, which was attended by over 50 businesses from a huge variety of sectors in the Cork region and further afield, all with the common purpose of forming alliances that will see their businesses help the environment and save them money. Ger Harte of Adhesives Research Ireland said "As developers and manufacturers of high-performance, pressure-sensitive adhesives, tapes, specialty coatings, films, and laminates, we at Adhesives Research had been looking at alternatives to sending our unused PET liner on rolls to landfill. Upon visiting the SMILE Resource Exchange website we realised there was potential for us to make exchanges with other businesses, providing them with a product that was no longer of use to us but that they could use to benefit their business in some way, and so we decided to come along today and find out how. We are delighted to be the 500th business to sign up. It's so positive that, in less than two years, SMILE has developed to a stage where it now has 500 members, the majority of which have made exchanges in some capacity and seen direct benefits to their business – so many satisfied members can't be wrong!"

SMILE (Saving Money through Industry Links and Exchanges) Resource Exchange was piloted in Cork in 2010 and has expanded into Kerry, Limerick and Clare regions in 2011. While SMILE aims to save businesses money, it also helps to identify economic opportunities out of turning a waste into a resource. At the latest event, there were a number of businesses in attendance who make products out of waste items and who were looking for inspiration and ideas, as well as access to businesses with resources that they can use and in these cases, SMILE is the connector, helping them gain access to such businesses. SMILE Resource Exchange is project managed by Macroom E. For further information visit www.smileexchange.ie or call (026) 20520.

Have Your Say and win iPad

If you're living in West Cork and aged between 16 and 24, West Cork Development Partnership wants you to have your say on a range of issues including the quality and availability of youth services, volunteering, and what it's like to be young in your community. So as to develop a youth development strategy for the region, WCDP wants to hear your thoughts on the issues that matter to you to help us shape and deliver youth powered services that meet your needs and enhance your community. The survey takes just 10 minutes to complete, and if we reach 500 responses, we'll give away an iPad2 to one lucky entrant. You can take the survey at www.wcdp.ie/youthsurvey Don't forget to share it with your friends and thanks for taking the time to have your say. T: 023 883 4035 E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bookworms

11th Hour by James Patterson.

The very latest instalment from The Women's Murder Club. Here, Lindsay Boker is called on to investigate a series of bizarre murders - millionaire Chas Smith, who is mercilessly gunned down and the discovery of a series of headless victims whose bodies are found in the garden of a world-famous actor. A compelling read with a charismatic cast of characters.

Method: Preheat oven to 200C. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the cauliflower and cook for two minutes. Drain and place in a buttered ovenproof dish. Place the butter and flour into a saucepan and heat to melt the butter. Cook, stirring for one to two minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and simmer for two to three minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolks, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and flake the salmon into the sauce, stirring carefully. Pour over the cauliflower and top with the grated cheeses. Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Tip of the Month – Sow Onion Sets

Onions are typically grown from 'sets' (a fancy name for baby onions) rather than from seed. Sets are usually planted from mid March to mid April, depending on the weather and will take approx 5 months to mature. To plant your sets: firm the surface of the soil and plant the onion sets 4 inches apart in rows 9 inches apart. Push the set gently down in to the soil, leaving the tip just showing above the surface. If you have already bought your onion sets and are waiting for the weather to warm up a bit before planting, spread out the sets in a cool, well-lit place to prevent early sprouting. Onions can also be grown from seed but take a bit longer (but it's also a lot cheaper).

Macroom Motor Services U 21 Football Championship

Group One:

Naomh Aban 2 – 14 Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh 0 – 13 aet.

Naomh Abán and Béal Átha fought out a ding dong battle at Inchigeela to finish all square in normal time. Four points from Ben Shorten and one from Kevin Lynch gave Béal Átha a two point lead coming up to half time but then Colm Murphy, who had already scored all three points for N Abán, belted a penalty shot, awarded after a foul on Diarmuid Ó Liatháin, to the Béal Átha net to give his side a 1-3 to 0-5 interval lead. On the resumption, Ben Shorten quickly equalised and when Murphy kicked over a fine lead point for N Abán, Eanna Dineen equalised and then points from Shorten and Cian Dineen put Béal Átha into the lead at three quarter stage, 0-9 to 1-4. Jamie MacGiollaBride and Colm Murphy had the Baile Mhúirne men level by the 21st minute and then Murphy kicked a free to put the boys in blue ahead. In the final minutes, two Ciarán Noonan runs forwards yielded frees for Béal Átha which Ben Shorten converted to put his side in front as the game went into injury time but Colm Murphy rescued Naomh Abán with a point from a free in the 32nd minute and sent the game into 20 minutes of extra time, Béal Átha 0-11 to 1-8 for N Abán.

After staying with the fancied Éire Óg side for much of the first half, Iveleary conceded 1-1 in the two minutes before the interval and Éire Óg led by 1-6 to 0-2 at the break. Kevin Hallissey was the goal scorer for the Ovens side and John Dineen got four of the points tally. On the resumption, Iveleary took up the running for a period and three points in a row had the deficit down to four points but then Hallissey struck for his second goal to restore Éire Óg dominance and in the final quarter the winners got well on top and ran out convincing winners. David Hourihan got a fine goal for Iveleary but there was no danger of a reversal of the outcome.

Group Outcome: Undefeated Éire Óg win the group and qualify for the A championship semi final. Iveleary and Naomh Abán, who drew their group game, must play off with the winners qualifying for the B semi final and the losers in the C semi final. Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh and Kilmichael will compete in the D championship.

Group Two:

Cill na Martra 1 – 16 Inniscarra 1 – 4

In a rather one sided game in Group Two, Cill na Martra led at half time by 0-9 to 0-3 and never lost their grip on proceedings. A goal from Shane Dineen added to the big tally of points contributed mainly by Kevin Hoare, Shane Dineen, Daire Mac Lochlainn and Don Creedon. The Inniscarra goal came late in the game but was a deserved reward for their spirited efforts.

Group Outcome: Ballincollig win the group and progress as expected to the 'A' championship semi final. Ballinora finish second and are through to the 'B' championship semi final. Cill na Martra are C semi finalists and Inniscarra will compete in the D championship.

Group Three:

Canovee 1 – 13 Donoughmore 2 – 6

Canovee, still smarting after their defeat by Kilmurry a week earlier, were in no mood to suffer further defeat and booked their place in the B semi final with a determined and impressive performance against Donoughmore at Coachford. Canovee had a very good first quarter with Michael Deasy dominating midfield and Sean O'Connor and Darragh Ring a constant threat in attack. Canovee as a result led by 0-5 to 0-2 but the Donoughmore sideline then rearranged their defence to counter the threat and their fortunes took an upward turn with Mark Foley and John Chambers now steadying influences down the centre at the back and Darren Barrett and Colm O'Callaghan now emerging in attack and benefiting from the improved play of Daniel Forde at midfield. A goal for Donoughmore from Gearóid O'Rourke had the sides level in the 18th minute and even though Darragh Ring again put Canovee into the lead with a point, Donoughmore responded with a second goal, this time Shane Healy finishing to the Canovee net with a powerful kick. Donoughmore were now on top, Daniel Forde and Colm O'Callaghan added points to a single reply from Mark Verling for Conovee and Donoughmore led at the interval by 2-4 to 0-7.

On the resumption, Daragh Ring and Daniel Forde exchanged points from frees and Canovee then began to regain the upper hand. John Buckley had a point from play and Aidan Deasy pointed a free in the 48th minute to leave only the minimum between the teams. Two minutes the sides were level when Darragh Ring kicked over the Donoughmore bar but Donoughmore came back once again and Daniel Forde pointed a free to put his side in front once again. Canovee were dictating the outfield play however and the pressure eventually told. Sean O'Connor's point levelled matters and Daniel O'Sullivan pointed to put Canovee in front and to copper fasten the victory, Mark Verling slammed the ball to the Donoughmore net after the goalkeeper had blocked but could not hold a Darragh Ring free. Canovee: Darragh Shine: Donal Cronin, Jerry Lucey, William Ahern: Daniel O'Sullivan, Damien Ahern, Stephen Kelleher: Paul Twomey, Michael Deasy: Mark Verling, Sean O'Connor, Charles Kenneally: Cathal O'Carroll, Darragh Ring, Aidan Deasy. Sub: John Buckley. Donoughmore: Daniel Buckley: Kevin Horgan, Stephen Looney, Alan Twomey: John Chambers, Mark Foley, Barry Crowley; Daniel Forde, Stephen O'Connor: Sean Daly, Colm O'Callaghan, Shane Healy: Anthony Horgan, Darren Barrett, Gearoid O'Rourke. Subs: William Murray, Mark Looney. Referee: Mr Ted Hayes, Éire Óg.

Group Outcome: Kilmurry, unbeaten in their three games, advance to the A semi final. Canovee finish second and go through to the B semi final and Cill na Martra, in third place, go into the C semi final, with Grenagh competing in the D championship.

Group Four:

Aghabullogue 1 – 15 Blarney 0 – 9

Aghabullogue completed their group programme unbeaten with a victory over Blarney at Ballyanley. Aghabullogue led by 0-9 to 0-5 at the break and had control in the second half. A goal from John Corkery eased any pressure they came under from a plucky Blarney side that missed some good chance during the game.

Macroom 2 – 7 Blarney 1 – 6

This game was played under lights at Cloughduv two days after the defeat of De La Salle in the Corn Ui Mhuiri final. The night was cold, wet and generally miserable and the football was on a par despite the closeness of the scores all through. Forward play in particular left much to be desired and if Blarney had possessed even one scoring forward they could have won this game.

Macroom opened brightly and Tony Dineen had a point in the first minute, and set up a terrific goal from Andrew Hegarty a minute later. James Cotter in goal for Macroom saved brilliantly in the 10th minute but Blarney were improving all over the field and scoring three points in a row was their reward. In a rare attack Macroom hit back with a second goal in the 20th minute, Michael Browne forcing the ball over the Blarney line with the help of Darren Creed but Blarney replied quickly with a goal from the penalty spot and followed with a point to level the scores at 1-4 to 2-1 five minutes from the interval. Macroom finished the half well with points from David Horgan and Tony Dineen to lead by 2-4 to 1-4 at the break.

On the restart, two points from Blarney were followed by points from Andrew Hegarty and Michael Browne for Macroom to still leave a goal between the teams at the three quarter stage. Blarney now missed several fine chances from play and from frees and Macroom were thankful for the strong performance of Darren Kelly at full back. The only other score was a point from a David Horgan free six minutes from time to ease the situation for the winners. Blarney did not score at all in the final twenty minutes and paid the price. Macroom: James Cotter: James O'Connor, Darren Kelly, Kieran Kiely: Barry Healy, Trevor Horgan, Darragh Crowley: Tony Dineen, Colm Casey; Michael Browne, Andrew Hegarty, Darren Creed: David Coptter, David Horgan, Denis Quinlan. Subs: Noel Murphy, Darren McKenna, Michael Cronin, Darren Burns.

In their final group game Macroom defeated Clondrohid at Rusheen, thus recording their third victory. Macroom led at half time by 2-4 to 0-2, Andrew Hegarty again being the main threat in attack with 2-1 to his credit. Macroom remained in control in the second half. Macroom: Dylan Dineen: James O'Connor, Colm Casey, Noel Murphy: Darragh Crowley, Trevor Horgan, Barry Healy: Tony Dineen, David Cotter: Michael Cronin, Andrew Hegarty, David Horgan: Darren Creed, Adam Gray, Michael Browne. Subs: John Murphy, Shane Creedon, Darren Burns and Darren McKenna.

Group Outcome: Aghabullogue are through to the A championship semi final. Macroom are the B championship semi finalists. Blarney and Clondrohid must play off to decide who qualifies for the C championship semi final and Aghinagh will be contesting the D championship along with the losers in the play off game.

Kilmurry's great run came to an end at the semi final stage of the 'A' championship when Ballincollig had too much all round strength for one of the surprise packets of this year's competition when the teams met at Ovens. Kilmurry started very well and with Greg Barrett in fine form at full forward they had Ballincollig in all sorts of trouble early on. Greg Barrett and Jonathan Buckley had points to give them a 0-2 to 0-1 lead but Ballincollig rearranged their defence to dilute the threat and they had the resources to do this successfully. Jason McDonnell did very well to avert a Ballincollig goal but the satellite town boys were getting on top and two points were followed by a goal from Brian O'Connor who scored after an earlier attempt had been well saved by McDonnell. Two more points for Ballincollig were answered by an Alan O'Sullivan point for Kilmurry and at half time the winners led by 1-5 to 0-3. In the second half, Ballincollig added a further point but then Kilmurry hit back with a ferocious rally which rocked the town team and left only a point between the teams. Greg Barrett pointed three frees for Kilmurry and Paudie O'Connell had a point from play to leave the score at 1-5 to 0-7 and Kilmurry in with every chance. Alas for Kilmurry, they conceded the next score to Ballincollig rather unluckily and from then on the winners gained control. They piled on the pressure, and the points, and Greg Barrett's point for Kilmurry was the only reply. Defeat then for Kilmurry but they showed just why they had won their group registering victories over Donoughmore, Canovee and Grenagh in the process. Kilmurry: Jason McDonnell: Mark Cullinane, Kevin Barrett, Paul Kearney: Adam Healy, Stephen Down, Robert Cahalane: Colm Ryan, Colm Crowley: Jonathan Buckley, Alan O'Sullivan, Daniel Buckley: Paudie O'Connell, Greg Barrett, Liam Ryan. Sub: Padraic Berhanu Referee: Mr David Murnane, Macroom.

Éire Óg 1 – 13 Aghabullogue 0 – 15

The second semi final of the 'A' championship was played at Cloughduv and was a great contest with the issue in doubt to the final whistle. Éire Óg, the holders, were the favourites but anyone who had seen Aghabullogue play in the group stage was certain that the boys in green and white could accredit themselves well against anyone and they did. With only three minutes to play Aghabullogue hit the front with a Michael O'Sullivan point and it took late points from Kevin Hallissey and Cathal Murphy to keep Éire Óg's hopes of a second successive title alive. The only goal of the game was a goal of quality, John Dineen lobbing the 'keeper from a very tight angle in the 38th minute and in the final analysis, this was the vital score of the game.

Aghabullogue had carried the game to Éire Óg from the throw-in and points from John Corkery, Pat Walsh, Corkery again and Michael O'Sullivan had them four points clear after 11 minutes and they were playing with great dash and spirit. Kevin Hallissey got a badly needed point for Éire Óg in the 13th minute from a free and they improved greatly thereafter even though Aghabulogue were not wilting. Another Éire Óg point was followed by two for Aghabullogue before points from Hallissey and Dineen narrowed the deficit to two points by the 25th minute. Pat Walsh had another point for the challengers but Éire Óg replied with a brace before Aghabullogue had the final score of the first half, a point from Evan O'Sullivan, which gave his side a 0-8 to 0-6 interval lead.

Éire Óg were in brilliant form on the restart and scored 1-3 in the opening eight minutes, two points from Hallissey being followed by a Dineen point and then the goal from the same player to give Éire Óg a 1-9 to 0-8 lead. If spectators were expecting an Aghabullogue collapse they were in for a shock as Aghabullogue stayed in contention and then began to force the pace and four points in a row between the 18th and 26th minutes had them back level at 1-11 to 0-14. A terrific battle was now being witnessed and Michael O'Sullivan at last broke the deadlock with an Aghabullogue point in the 28th minute. Kevin Hallissey levelled for Éire Óg almost immediately and Cathal Murphy sent over a sweet winner in the dying seconds of an excellent sporting encounter which was a credit to both teams and all associated with them. Éire Óg: John McCarthy: Ronan Dennehy, Denis O'Keeffe, Colm Murphy: Ciaran McKenna, Sean O'Connor, Michael O'Shea: Fionn O'Rourke, Ciaran Hutchinson: Daniel O'Connor, Kevin Hallissey, Fintan Brennan: Aonghus McCarthy, Vincent Coffey, John Dineen. Subs; Daniel O'Shea, Cathal Murphy, Cillian Murphy. Aghabullogue: Mark O'Flynn: Alan Hogan, Eamonn Murphy, Anthony O'Sullivan: Stephen Dennehy, Mark Long, Sean O'Sullivan: Aidan BarryMurphy, Michael Dennehy: Ian McSweeney, Pat Walsh, Evan O'Sullivan: Ciaran Barrett, Michael O'Sullivan, John Corkery. Subs: James Lynch, Peter Osullivan. Referee: Mr Peter Downey, Inniscarra.

'B' Football Championship semi final:

Canovee 1 – 13 Ballinora 1 – 6

The first of the 'B' championship semi finals was played at Ballyanley and Canovee again showed that they are the team to beat in this competition as they gave another impressive performance against strong opposition. Canovee started well and points from Sean O'Connor, James Moynihan and Darragh Ring had them off to a good start. Ballinora fought back however with two points but Canovee replied with a point from Ring and a goal from Sean O'Connor to put themselves in a strong position. In the ten minutes before half time Ballinora outscored Canovee by four points to two, Darragh Ring scoring for Canovee who thus led by 1-7 to 0-6 at the break. Ballinora had rearrange their defence by this stage to good effect but they weakened their attack as a consequence and this was fatal to their chance s in the second half. Ballinora only had one score in that second period, a goal, to leave the score at 1-9 to 1-6 midway through the half but Canovee went on to have an impressive last quarter and added three points, all from Aidan Deasy '45's and a point from play from Daniel O'Sullivan. Canovee: Darragh Shine: Donal Cronin, Jerry Lucey, William Ahern: Charles Kenneally, Damien Ahern, Stephen Kelleher: Paul Twomey, Michael Deasy: Aidan Deasy, Sean O'Connor, James Moynihan: Mark Verling, Darragh Ring, Daniel O'Sullivan. Sub: John Buckley, Cathal O'Carroll.

'C' Football Championship semi final:

Cill na Martra 1 – 11 Donoughmore 1 – 9

Joy for Cill na Martra and gloom for Donoughmore and a most disappointing end to an U 21 campaign for which they must have had high hopes after the highs of last season when they really rattled Éire Óg in a gripping 'A' championship final. Conditions at Carrigadrohid were excellent and the game started brightly with Shane Healy and Kevin Hoare exchanging points and Gearóid O'Rourke slotting home a goal for the northern side after 8 minutes. Don Creedon and Kevin Hoare then had Cill na Martra points, before Barry Crowley had a point for Donoughmore who led by 1-2 to 0-3 as the first quarter ended. There was a burst of scoring in the six minutes before half time. Shane Dineen got a goal for the Gaeltacht side which was followed by points from Shane Dineen and Daire McLoughlin. Colm O'Callaghan scored twice for Donoughmore and in the final minute, Shane Dineen had a point for the winners to give them a 1-6 to 1-4 interval lead.

There was disappointment for De La Salle at Killarney when they went under to Corcha Dhuibhne after producing a below par performance. The Cork boys won the toss but played against the very strong wind and when they conceded an avoidable goal in the 15th minute they were 1-4 to 0-2 in arrears and under pressure. At half time the Dingle side were leading by 1-7 to 0-3 and in fairness to De La Salle, they fought well on the resumption and had got the deficit back to 1-7 to 0-7 by the three quarter stage. An exchange of points followed to keep the goal between the teams but De La Salle were not sparking in attack and the Kerry boys came back in the closing minutes to add 1-2 to their tally and give the final scoreline an unflattering appearance. It was a disappointing end to what had been a memorable season for De La Salle but these things happen and there is always a fresh challenge ahead for young people. De La Salle: Dylan Dineen (Macroom): Sean Kelleher (Aghinagh), Darren Kelly (Macroom), Kevin Manning (Iveleary): Sean O'Sullivan (Aghabullogue), Sean O'Leary (Iveleary), Finbarr Buckley (Kilmichael): Cathal Vaughan (Iveleary), Peter Kelleher (Kilmichael): Padraic Berhanu (Kilmurry), James Moynihan (Canovee), Patrick Lucey (Macroom): John Murphy (Macroom), Daniel Twomey (Kilmichael), David Horgan (Macroom). Subs: Barry O'Leary (Iveleary) Used and Dermot O'Callaghan (Aghinagh), Adam Healy (Kilmurry), Robert Cahalane (Kilmurry), Michael Cronin (Macroom), Ciaran Noonan (Beal Atha'n Ghaorthaidh), Shane Foley (Kilmichael), Michael Dunne (Canovee), Brendan Cotter (Kilmichael), Liam Kearney (Iveleary), Daniel Cahalane (Kilmurry), Daniel McSweeney (Clondrohid), David Murphy (Iveleary). The team was prepared by School Principal Noel Dunne and staff member Eric Graham.

Allianz National Football League

Cork have been busy in the league, losing away to Donegal and winning away to Laois in recent weeks. They play Kerry on Sunday 18th March in Cork in a big test of their current standing. Noel O'Leary of Cill na Martra, Fintan Goold, Eoin O'Mahony and Sean Kiely of Macroom have been seeing action for Cork.

Fitzgibbon Cup – Intervarsity Hurling

U.C.C. hosted the 100th Fitzgibbon Cup finals at the Mardyke and won a thriller against CIT in extra time. Inniscarra's John O'Callaghan was a member of the winning UCC team.

Macroom Juvenile GAA A.G.M.

Club officers are as follows for the 2012 season:

Chairman – Liam Linehan

Secretary – Michael Lynch

Treasurer – Stephen Buckley

PRO – Brendan Kenneally

Membership Officer – Joan Quinn

Macroom Juvenile G.A.A. Open Day will take place on Saturday, 24th March at 10:30am in the Castle Grounds. This is generally the day when all the next generation of 6 year old footballers join the club for the first time. All new players welcome. Contact: Liam Linehan.

U-8 Football team has commenced training since March 3 in the Boys National School at 10:30am. Diarmuid Holland is in charge of this team. We would like to see more children get involved with this team and should any parent wish for their child to get involved, please contact Diarmuid or any of the club officers.

The Under 10 football team has commenced training over the last couple of weeks in the Sports Complex on Saturday morning at 11a.m. Enda Kiernan is in charge. New children are welcome to participate.

Under 11 & 12 football training has commenced in Tom Creedon Park on Saturday mornings at 10:30am. Chris Donovan is the team manager.

Under 13 & 14 football training has resumed in Tom Creedon Park on a Thursday night at 7:30pm. for the foreseeable future and all new players are welcome.

lCounty League

Macroom Intermediate footballers head the county league division three league table after three games, their latest win in Kildorrery under lights being achieved on a 0-10 to 0-8 scoreline. With two players tied up with Cork and four more with De La Salle, the selectors had to work hard to get fifteen players on the field but they succeeded and the team gave a good display at a venue where Macroom wins are rare enough. Ger Angland and Pat Kelleher had early points, Tony Dineen and Conor O'Sullivan scored before half-time at which stage Kildorrery led by 0-7 to 0-4. Macroom played really well in the second half and points from Tony Dineen, Conor O'Sullivan and Pat Kelleher brought them level at 0-8 each ten minutes from time. John Ryan pointed a free to put Macroom ahead and Andrew Hegarty had a late point to assure Macroom of the league points. Macroom: James O'Connell, Peter Lynch, John Angland, Ciaran Murphy, Gerard Angland, Rory Buckley, Michael Cahill, Sean Kiely, Tony Dineen, John Ryan, Andrew Hegarty, David Cotter, Conor O'Sullivan, Brian Tiernan, Pat Kelleher.

All Ireland Camogie

Coláiste Íosagáin, Stillorgan 3-7 St. Mary's, Macroom 0-4

St. Mary's travelled to Thurles on the 4th of March for the All-Ireland Final against Coláiste Íosagáin. Although they put up a great fight and didn't give up until the final whistle, the Dublin side proved to be too strong for the Macroom girls. Stillorgan got off to a great start with the help of a very strong wind. Within the first 10 minutes they had built up a lead of 1- 3 to no score. A well taken free from Anne-Marie Ryan got St. Mary's on the scoreboard after a series of attacks on the Stillorgan goal, but the Dubliners extended their lead with another goal and a point before St. Mary's registered another point on the scoreboard. Stillorgan ended the first half well, leading by 3-6 to 0-2. St. Mary's did not give up as Joanne Down responded with a point from play at the start of the second half. Stillorgan made many attacks on the St. Marys backs but the defenders did not let them through. St. Mary's were awarded a free and the centre forward Becky Hennigan slotted it over the bar. With only seconds remaining Stillorgan came down the field and scored the last point of the match. This left the score 3-7 to 0 -4.

Macroom Soccer

Premier A: Knockavilla 2 Macroom 6

Macroom A recorded their first win of the season, defeating Knockavilla away 6-2. Macroom went into the break with a three goal advantage, thanks to two goals from Stephen Casey, both assisted by Conor O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan then got his goal, after being set up by Patrick Burns. Knockavilla got one back after the break, before Macroom made the game safe. First Michael O'Brien got a bullet header from a corner, before William O'Riordan teed up Darragh Crowley to finish. O'Riordan then got the sixth with a sweet strike.

AUL 2: Macroom B 4 Blackpool Celtic 0

Macroom B continued their ascent up the table, as Denis Canty hit a hatrick to help Macroom B record a 4-0 win at the Town Park. The home side flew out of the blocks, scoring twice inside the first ten minutes. Macroom got their third on 51. A fine strike from Pat Kelleher was blocked down by Billy Murphy, but Canty was first to the loose ball, before arrowing a volley into the bottom corner to complete his hatrick. Macroom grabbed a fourth on 68, when Fitzgerald fed Michael Browne on half way, and he raced clear of the Blackpool defence before superbly chipping the onrushing Matthews to put the result beyond doubt. Macroom: John Angland, David Murnane, Frank Kiely, John Ronan, Pat Kelleher, Sean Kelleher, Denis Canty, Cathal Prendeville, Barry Fitzgerald, Michael Browne, Barry Healy. Subs: Chris Browne, Alan O'Connor, Darren O'Brien, Conor O'Leary

Athletics

The opening meeting Indoor Track session was held in Nenagh, when the Munster Indoor Championship were held over two days. West Muskerry AC had three athletes in competitions and all three came home with silver medals – a great achievement in the first meeting of the year and an encouraging start for all in the club. Grainne Moynihan competed in girls U19 60m and 200m. Grainne was happy with her silver medal in the 60m (time 7.82 seconds) and despite making a few errors in the 200m race she still managed to finish in second place in a time of 26.23 seconds. Grainne will be hoping to improve on these times in the All-Ireland in late March. Kevin O'Dwyer competed in the boys' U16 long jump and 200m. A jump of 5.65 metres earned a delighted Kevin the silver medal, this being more than 50cm better than his previous personal best. Eoin Walsh competed in the boys' U17 60m and 200m. Eoin ran a fantastic 60m final and finished just outside the medals in fourth place. In the 200m he gave a great performance and was well deserving of his silver medal. All three athletes will be competing in the All-Ireland later in the month. Club member Megan Moynihan, a student in Dublin City University, was competing in the Winfer Throws Cup in Dunboyne, Co Meath and was pleased with her throw of 42 metres in the hammer competition.

All-Star award: West Muskerry's Grainne Moynihan was accorded an AAI All-Star award for Cork in Athlone. The award was in recognition of Grainne's outstanding achievements in 2011 and was well deserved. All her clubmates in West Muskerry AC were delighted that Grainne is getting the recognition for her ability and dedication.

Kilmurry Underage News

U8 training is due to commence on Sunday March 25th in Kilmurry GAA club. Anyone interested should be present at 11.00 on the day. Enquires to Tim Irwin.

The U10 team commenced training in Kilmurry hall on Sunday March 4th. A large group of players were in attendance and were put through their paces by Team Coaches, Denis O'Donoghue and DD O'Mahony. Training is scheduled for every Sunday between 11.00 am and 12.00. All are welcome to attend.

U16: Kilmurry U-16 team took on Kinsale as part of the Eastern Division League. Kilmurry ran out easy winners on a score line of 5-10 to 1-3. Kilmurry's forward line of Sean Warren, Joseph Ryan and Colm Hannon caused all sorts of problems for Kinsale, with Joseph Ryan proving to be particularly dangerous with an personal tally of 3-5. The danger posed by the forwards was balanced in defence where Kilmurry's backline of Padraig Hinchion, Sean Curzon and Marco Healy put in fine performances as did goal keeper Colin Casey.

Kilmurry Underage club would like to congratulate the five players who were part of the De La Salle team who contested the Corn Uí Mhuirí final on Sunday March 4th. Unfortunately the game did not go the way of the Macroom side. Nevertheless, those involved were a source of great honour and pride for their club. The Kilmurry players were Padraig Berhanu, Adam Healy, Robert Cahalane, Daniel Cahalane and Padraig Grainger.

Lee Valley Basketball

Mar 3rd in Macroom

U12B Lee Valley 26 St. Anthony's 6

Lee Valley took the upper hand in this game from the start with lay-ups from Joanne Kelly and Meav Barry. Aideen Buckley had a good game and great scores. Katie Ronan and Sarah Doyle both set up some fine scores for their team mates. Kate Brady and Miriam Murnane worked well in defence as did Niamh Walsh. Caoimhe O'Driscoll showed some good ball carrying skills, weaving in to score some lay-ups.

The final score did not reflect the effort of the St. Anthony's team.

U14B Lee Valley 27 St. Anthony's 22

This was a close match with St. Anthony's taking the lead in the first quarter. Lee Valley's Orla Hannon scored some fine lay-ups as did Saoirse McCarthy. Both Brionnagh Healy and Aine Barry were quick on the rebounds. Aoife Doyle and Victorai Bulinska played well in defence. Bríd Óg McSwiney had good ball control and also scored some lay-ups. Lee Valley won by 5 points. Well done to both teams.

U16B Lee Valley 25 Carrig na bhFear 42

This match started well for both teams but Carrig na bhFear pulled ahead in the second quarter. The Lee Valley girls did their best to catch up and there was great play from both teams. For Lee Valley, Sarah Beth O'Mullane had a great game. Siofra Burgoyne did brilliant defending, as did Elaine O'Brien and Suzanne Barry and Lauren Buckley was top scorer for Lee Valley.

U18B Lee Valley 26 Carrig na bhFear 31

This match started off well for both teams and lovely basketball from all the girls. Carrig na bhFear pulled ahead in the third quarter and Lee Valley came back in the fourth quarter but just left it too late. For Lee Valley Yvonne Burgoyne got some lovely lay-ups and played a great game. Emma Healy and Michelle McCarthy did some great defending; so did Jean O'Sullivan and Meabh Hourihan who had good height for intercepting the ball. Jessica O'Mullane and Rebecca Barry defended brilliantly on the top of the zone.

Kilmichael Pitch and Putt

The Club League, which ran for four weeks in good weather conditions, concluded recently. Team A consisting of Maureen Foley, Colm Healy, Dan Foley, Michael Dunlea, Sean O'Leary and P.J. Curtin were the winners with some points to spare. The Overall Gross was won by Dan Kiely, and the Overall Nett by Christine Swanton.

Forthcoming competitions: Until further notice fourballs will continue at 2.30 pm on Sundays. On Sunday 25th March a Club Singles will commence at 10.30am. On Sunday 22nd April the Club Strokeplay will be contested.

Lee Valley Enterprise Board Message

St. Patrick's Day is nearly upon us once again and this year's Parade is shaping up

to be one of the biggest ever. Please read the program of events, but we would like

to point out a few items:

1. Please be in Macroom no later than 2.30 p.m. The N22 road through the town will close at 3 p.m and a diversion will operate until the Parade is over. We have had many disappointed families who missed the Parade in the past, so please be on time. You'll be entertained on the streets from 2 p.m.

2. The Parade will start at 3.30 p.m sharp. All participants should be at the Bowl Road no later than 2.30 p.m.

3. Please co-operate with the stewards.

4. There will be no Fireworks this St. Patrick's night

5. Don't forget our St Patrick's Gala Concert in the Briery Gap, featuring St. Mary's School, Macroom who won the All Ireland Light Entertainment competition and, for the first time in their 83 year history, The Woodland String Band, winners of the Philadelphia Mummers Parade. Tickets are only €10 and there is FREE admission into the Céilí in the Castle Hotel afterwards.

The St Patrick's Day Committee would like to thank all our sponsors, but a special word of deep gratitude goes to Macroom Town Council and its members who have supported the Parade for the past decade....Míle Míle Buíochas. Again, please try to be in Town no later than 2.30. The Parade will start on time and the committee would like to wish everybody a very Happy St Patrick's Day.

Lee Valley Diary

Briery Gap:

Sat. March 17 at 8.30p.m. St. Patrick's Day Concert

Sun. and Mon. March 18 and 19 at 7.30p.m. Starmakers' Mamma Mia

Sat. and Sun. March 24, 25 Becoming Fame-ous.

Mon. March 26 @ 2p.m. Classic cinema The Quiet Man

Macroom Library:

Ciorcal Gaeilge: Fri. Mar. 16 @ 10.30a.m.

Penn Junior Bookclub: Fri. 16th Mar. 4pm.

Gramophone Recital: Mon. April 16 @ 11a.m.

Macroom Senior Citizens: Fr. Ryan Hall

Tues. March 20 @ 7.30: Health Talk and Social

Every Wed.: Dance and Drama 11a.m.; Painting 3p.m.

Every Thurs. Bingo 8.30p.m.

Every Fri. Line Dancing 2p.m.

Ciorcal Gaeilge on Fri. Mar. 16th at 10.30. a.m. in Macroom Library.

Aghinagh Comhaltas Fleadh fundraiser, Cill na Martra, Fri. March 16.

Coppeen St. Patrick's Day Parade: Sat. March 17 3p.m.

Macroom St. Patrick's Day Parade: Sat. March 17 3.30p.m.

Carriganima St. Patrick's Parade: Sun. March 18.

Macroom Tidy Towns Church Gate Collection, Sat. and Sun. March 17 and 18.

We are pleased to publicise Lee Valley functions, fundraisers, sports events etc. in this fortnightly diary. Please email information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; telephone 026 41891 or post to Killarney Road, Macroom by the Monday before publication. Remember you can access back issues of the Lee Valley Outlook at www.macroom.ie

Arts Minister for National Drama Final

The 12th annual All Ireland Transition Year Drama Festival played out in the Briery Gap, Macroom in an all day session on March 3. Thirteen finalists from schools, stretching from Donegal to Kerry and Westmeath to Cork, displayed a huge wealth of talent, initiative and energy in adaptations of recognised plays and in original material created by students and teachers. Great variety was evident in theme and presentation, which was fortunate for adjudicators Geoff Gould of Blood in the Alley Theatre and Patrick Fitzpatrick (Zumo from Fair City), as they undertook the marathon session, starting at 11a.m.

Mr. Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, was guest speaker at the presentation of awards. He congratulated Manager Anne Dunne and all involved in initiating and developing this most successful national competition and remarked on the very high standard of the productions. Ireland has a wealth of dramatic talent, he declared and this is nurtured by events such as Transition Year drama. He expressed his appreciation of the benefits accruing from the Transition Year Option in the educational system, which allows for personal development and the enrichment of talents distinct from the academic. The Minister said that Patrick Fitzpatrick was proof of that, since he went on to make a career on the stage, having competed in the National Drama final with Ballymun Comprehensive just six years ago.

St. Joseph's, Doon, Co. Limerick were declared overall winners and were presented with the Mullingar Arts Trophy and €1,000 for 'MmmBeth', a comic re-write of Shakespeare's tragedy. The witty witches, beautifully costumed and choreographed earned a Special Award. Second prize went to the 2011 winners, C.B.S. Mullingar. Their 22 man cast performed 'Redemption', a stark presentation of the Jews in Nazi Poland, which concluded most effectively with a roll call of man's continuing inhumanity to man in a series of tyrannical regimes. Sean Lynch was awarded Best Director for this show. King's Hospital, Palmerstown, Dublin won Third Best Overall with their production of Lorca's 'The House of Bernarda Alba'. Their symbolic black and white theme won them the award for Best Costumes and the nurse, Tara O'Neill, got Best Supporting Role award. McEgan College, Macroom won the Mairead and Seamus Barry Perpetual Trophy for Best Previous Non Prizewinner with 'Brothers of Destruction', a boxing drama highlighting the dangers of the use of steroids. The Roger Healy Perpetual Trophy for Best Performance went to Maeve Mulcahy, the narrator in a hilarious Wild West show presented by St. Mary's, Charleville. Scoil Mhuire gan Smál, Blarney got a Special Award for their play, 'Put up the Rent', and alternative and ironic take on rackrenting and eviction in 19th century Ireland. St. Wolstan's, Celbridge, Co Kildare got a Special Award for 'Tich' in the dramatisation of Wendy Cope's poem, Tich Miller, which deals with bullying, isolation and suicide. The Dermot Bradley Perpetual Trophy for Best Stage Set, Lighting, Design went to Ard Scoil Rís, Limerick for their set in an adaptation of Martin McDonagh's 'Cripple of Inishmaan'. Best Original Script Trophy went to Coláiste Cholmcille, Donegal for their stark dramatisation of schoolboy suicide, resulting from unemployment, failed romance and bullying. Runners up trophies also went to St. Mary's, Macroom for their adaptation of Romeo and Juliet; Milltown, Co. Kerry for 'A Desperate Housewife'; Newport, Co. Tipperary for 'Miracle Worker', the story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan and C.B.S. Kilkenny for a modernistic, post nuclear play, 'Rabbit'.

Macroom Senior Citizens' A.G.M.

Pat O'Connell, Chairman Macroom Senior Citizens, described 2011 as having been very difficult during his address at the recent A.G.M. in the Fr. Ryan Hall but said he wished to thank all those who helped to keep services up and running despite serious challenges. He went on to say that in the midst of national and international crises, Macroom Senior Citizens continued to concentrate on providing local responses to local problems, despite reduced funding and increasing expenses. He issued a plea for making the well being of the ordinary citizen, particularly the elderly, a priority and stressed the importance of keeping older people in their own localities. 2011 was nevertheless a very successful one for the Senior Citizens, with all services running to full capacity. The sheltered housing in Sullane Place and the residential centre in Sullane Haven operated successfully and Mr O'Connell thanked the HSE South for funding, without which the facilities could not continue to function. But Macroom Senior Citizens had to fundraise to make up shortfalls and the chairman thanked the voluntary workers in The Shopeen (open every Saturday at Fr Ryan Hall), Sullane Art Society, De La Salle students MCA and the Castle Hotel's Clowning Around for much appreciated donations. A major fundraiser in November was the publication of the book of photographs 'Muskerry through the lens of Dennis Dinneen', which is much valued by all who purchased it and a tribute to the life work of Dennis Dinneen. Mr O'Connell thanked Clare Dinneen and her family for nominating the Senior Citizens as the beneficiaries of the profits from sales and thanked the book's compilers, Sean and Máire Mac Suibhne, for the time and effort they put into its publication. Ms Lisa Cashman of West Cork Development Partnership was thanked for all her help with funding the printing of the book. It is the hope of Macroom Senior Citizens to develop a day service to meet the needs of people who suffer from dementia in the Macroom area and discussions have taken place on how to further develop this idea. Mr O'Connell concluded his report with renewed thanks to all who help and expressed the hope that despite the difficult times, the organisation will be able to provide the same level of services in 2012 as they have in the past.

Honours for Castle Hotel

The four star Castle Hotel, Macroom, recent winner of Trip Advisor 2012 Travellers' Choice Award, has now been nominated in the 2012 Wedding Supplier Awards for Best Venue in Munster. This is a wonderful recognition of over 60 years of Wedding Tradition at The Castle Hotel. Don & Gerard Buckley & all the team are delighted with the honour. More details at http://www.realweddings.ie/press/2012/02/woscars-2012-vote-now/

Aisling MacDonnell, Aherla, has just been appointed Deputy General Manager of the Castle Hotel. Aisling will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of the hotel. Part of her roles and responsibilities will include managing the strong wedding market within the hotel. Aisling has a wealth of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. She holds a Masters in Human Resource Management, a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with Human Resource Management and a Diploma in International Hotel Management with French from Shannon College of Hotel Management. Prior to taking on this position, she worked in a number of International high profile hotels which included the Four Seasons Hotel, Doha in Qatar, The Sheraton Aerogolf Hotel in Luxembourg, The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh and the Oriel House Hotel in Cork. Aisling also spent a period of her career working with Visit Scotland, which is Scotland's national tourism organisation. She will report to Owner, Don Buckley who commented "Aisling is a fantastic addition to the Castle Hotel team and, with her international expertise and knowledge, we welcome her strengths in developing the Castle. We would like to take this opportunity in wishing her every success on her professional journey with the hotel". Commenting on her new role, Aisling said "I am fortunate to secure a position with the Castle in progressing my career. I will be working alongside an extraordinary award winning team which are highly skilled. The Castle Hotel is celebrating 61 years in business this year and I welcome the opportunity in building my career with the team at the Castle Hotel".

March Gramophone Recital

Peter O'Regan presented a delightful variety of music in Macroom Library on March 12, in which he paid tribute to Seachtain na Gaeilge, St. Patrick's Day and National Tree Week. His opening number in a very international selection was Philip Souzo's 'Liberty Bell', recognising the contribution of Philadephia's Woodland String Band to festivities in Macroom since the beginning of the century. This was followed by a selection of reels on the accordion from Galway's Joe Burke and Susanne Murphy singing 'I dreamt I dwelt in Marble Halls' from Balfe's Bohemian Girl. John McCormack sang 'Trees', a beautiful musical adaptation of Joyce Kilmer's poem of the same name. Cork's Cara O'Sullivan made a CD recently for Marymount Hospice and Peter chose 'We'll gather Lilacs', from Ivor Novello's 'Perchance to Dream' from this CD. Nelson Eddie's 'Rosemarie' was followed by 'The Prayer', sung by Welsh soprano, Katherine Jenkins and the first half of the programme concluded with 'A Policeman's Lot is not a Happy One', from Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance'. After refreshments, the capacity audience enjoyed the Trish Trash Polka by Johann Strauss 11. Antonin Dvorak's 'Song to the Moon' preceded Luciano Pavarotti's performance of Questa o Quella from Verdi's Rigoletto. 'Laura's Theme' from Dr. Zhivago was played by Andre Rio and his orchestra, followed by Handel's Largo, Ombra mai fou, sung by Judith Malafronte. Richard Tauber's Summer Night and Mario del Monaco's Love's Last Word preceded Andrea Boccelli with Grenada and the Cambridge Singers performing The Beauty of the Earth concluded a most enjoyable morning's music.

Librarian, Christine Cronin, will present the April Gramophone recital on Monday 16 at 11a. m.

Macroom Library

Many thanks to all those who came along to the Ciorcal Gaeilge on Friday, March 9th. Many of those present were keen to continue the trend and will meet again on Friday 16th at 10.30. a.m. Bí ann gan teip. Thanks also to Peter O'Regan, our music presenter for March. An enjoyable morning was had by all.

Penn Junior Bookclub has been chosen to be one of 10 junior juries nationally to decide on the winners of The Bisto Irish Books of the Year awards. This is a great honour and responsibility for us and our members and all are very excited about it. We will need to meet more often during the next 2 months in order to get through the volume of reading and critiquing necessary. Next meeting, Friday 16th March at 4p.m. Penn Bookclub is currently full but names of potential members are being taken at the desk. It is aimed at enthusiastic readers between 9-12 who would enjoy sharing their hobby with like minded boys and girls.

The Household Charge Form (which should be in by the end of March) is available at the library. We do not have forms for the Septic tank charge.

During March we are hosting an Exhibition of the latest works of Rose Foley, B.A Fine Art. She is a contemporary artist living and working in Ballineen. The library will be closed on Saturday 17th and Monday 19th March. We will re-open at 10.00 on Tuesday March 20th.

Briery Gap Programme

Sulán Film Society presents Sensation, Tom Hall's comedy/ love story of a farmer and prostitute at 8.30 p.m. on Monday, March 26 @ 8.30p.m. Admission €7. Although uncomfortably ugly at times and very melancholic in tone, it's also said to be quite humorous and its message optimistic.

Live Theatre:

St. Patrick's Day Concert: Saturday, March 17 at 8.30p.m. LVEB presents the Woodland String Band; St. Mary's Choir in concert. Admission €10.

Macroom Stage School presents Becoming Fame-ous on Saturday March 24 at 7.30p.m. and Sunday 25 at 3p.m. and 7.30p.m. Come and support the talented youth of Macroom and beyond, a great night's entertainment. Tickets €12 Concessions €8.

Local TV Programmes

Sun. March 18: 5.30 p.m. International St. Patrick's Day Mass from Macroom 2012

6.30p.m. News and Sport. St. Patrick's Day concert from St. Joseph's N.S. Macroom.

8 p.m. LTV 2 Repeat Programme.

9.30 Special production of music and song, featuring the late Johnny Donegan.

Wed. March 21: 9.30 p.m. News and Sport; St. Patrick's Day 2012 from Macroom.

Snippets

Contact information: Please email text and/or photographs to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; telephone 026-41891 or post to Lee Valley Outlook, Killarney Road, Macroom by the Monday before publication. (Photos by Friday before publication)

Craobh Laichtín Naofa CCE will hold a fundraising seisiún ceoil in The Crois, Cill na Martra on Friday 16th March to raise funds for the upcoming Fleadh Cheoil in Macroom. Also on the 31st March there will be a Flag day in Macroom where there will be music, song & craic all day long. Any further details required contact me on 086-3256751.

Mamma Mia in Macroom: Starmakers, Macroom's long established drama school, will present Mamma Mia as their annual production in the Briery Gap Theatre Macroom on Sunday March 18th and Monday March 19th at 7.30 p.m. The romantic comedy musical is based on the songs of the successful pop group ABBA and features such numbers as Money,Money , Dancing Queen and Supertrouper. Lead roles are played by Kimberley Herlihy (Sophie); Michael Dineen (Sky); Muireann O'Connor (Donna); Rachel Forbes (Tanya) and Taylor Hickey (Rosie). Tickets for the show are on sale from the Theatre Box Office (026) 41793

Senior Citizen Health Information Seminar & Social Evening run in conjunction with Cork County Federation Muintir na Tire Ltd. will be held in the Fr. Ryan Hall on Tuesday 20th March, starting at 7.30pm. Subjects for discussion include: 7.45pm:- Healthy Diet (Foods which help to relieve inflammation); 8.30pm:- "Just Can't Wait" a witty but interesting talk on incontinence. Admission is free.

Macroom Senior Citizen Social will be held in the Fr. Ryan Hall on Tuesday, March 20th at 9.15pm (after Health Seminar). Music by John White.

Muskerry Local History Society will host a lecture by John O'Connell on the subject of Female Transportation to Australia on Tuesday, March 20th at 8p.m. Commencing in 1827 with the voyage of the sailing ship 'Elizabeth' from Cork with female convicts to Australia, the presentation traces this and subsequent transportation of females to Australia and their belated road to recognition through 'Roses From the Heart'. The lecture will take place in the Ballincollig Rugby Club (Tanner Park) Clubhouse. Admission €3 for non-members. Everyone most welcome.

Golden Oldies: The Briery Gap and Macroom Senior Citizens are launching a short season of classic films in the cinema on the last Monday of each month at 2pm. The season starts on Monday, March 26th, with the very popular The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. High Noon will follow on April 30 and An American in Paris will be screened on May 28. Admission is just €4.

Kilmichael Rovers F.C. - are holding a fundraising Race Night in Dromey's Bar, Droumcarra on the 30th March at 9 pm. Fun night at the races guaranteed

West Cork Book Bonanza: Bring one book and take away 3 books at Cox's Hall, Dunmanway, Sat. March 31 and Sun. April 1, 12 noon to 5p.m. Fantastic collection of books to suit adults and children of all ages. Admission €5. All proceeds in aid of The Friends of Dunmanway Community Hospital.

Cork Gramophone Circles, in association with Alzheimer's Association, will present a Gramophone Recital at the Imperial Hotel on Sunday, April 1 at 8p.m., at which Kenneth O'Callaghan will present a lovely evening of music an song. Light refreshments served. Admission €10.

Macroom Flower and Garden Club Wedding Extravaganza Floral Demonstration with Eileen O'Brien, Kinsale on Thursday, April 19 at 8p.m.

Senior Citizen Holiday: The keenly anticipated annual holiday will be based at the Castle Court in Westport, Co Mayo in 2012. Holiday makers from Macroom and district will spend five nights from Sunday, May 20th to Friday, May 25th in the comfortable, four star hotel in the west of Ireland. The group will travel by coach to and from Macroom and enjoy four daily tours, five nights bed and breakfast and five evening meals with nightly entertainment in the hotel at a cost of €350 per person sharing (€10 extra per night for those who wish to have a single room). All interested are asked to book as soon as possible with the organisers, Regina Casey and Evelyn McSweeney.

Pilgrimages: The annual Cloyne Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes is on June 1 - 6 and booking forms are available from Joe Walsh Tours in Cork. For details of the Special Sick/Assisted section, the parish secretary should be contacted at 022-20276. A Mid Cork pilgrimage to Fatima will run September 10 – 14 and will be led by Spiritual Director, An tAthair Dónal Ó Briain. All details from O'Driscoll Travel (026-41342).

Student Exchange: For the 19th successive year, second level students from De la Salle College and St. Mary's, Macroom and De la Salle College Bordeaux are completing an exchange programme which exposes them to another environment, language and culture. 37 Macroom 2nd and 4th year students are currently in France, returning home on March 16 with their French counterparts. 38 children and 4 teachers will arrive in Macroom from the Italian town of Marcallo con Casone on March 21st and stay with the families of students from De la Salle until March 28. A 1st year group from De la Salle will make a return visit to Italy in late April.

Muskerry Macra are hosting the 2nd round of Senior Debating in Coolcower House on March 24th @ 8pm. Teams taking part are Donoughmore v Bantry & Kilmacthomas v Freemount. On the 31st March & 1st April Muskerry will be hosting the National Semi-Final of Drama in the Briery Gap, Macroom. Muskerry Macra recently held the regional round of basketball & volleyball and both were won by Terelton. Best of Luck to them in upcoming finals.

Dromleigh N.S. : Enrolment forms are now available from Dromleigh N.S for children who will be starting school in September 2012. There will also be an Open Night on Thursday 22nd March from 7 pm to 8pm. Forms and information from the school at 026 46212.

CONNECT Business Network Meeting which was held at Macroom E on Wednesday, March 7. These business meeting are held on the first Wednesday of every month to facilitate local businesses getting to know each other and what services and products are available locally. Guest speakers for March were Jeroen Proos and Rene Van Willigen of Human & Kind Skincare.

Teacher's Retirement: Mrs Margaret Lehane, Terelton, who taught in Inchigeela N.S. for 32 years, retired at the end of February and children, parents, staff, former teachers, family and friends assembled at the school to pay tribute and make presentations to this very popular teacher.

Kilmichael Tea Party: The GAA Clubrooms in Annahala was the venue for a very successful Tea Party in aid of Macroom Hospital Upgrading recently. This first big event in the newly-built facility attracted a very large number of Kilmichael people and their friends. After a very warm and sociable session at the tables, the crowd danced to the music of Teddy Crowley and Jerome Coakley. The event raised €4,655 and this sum was presented to Macroom Hospital by Fr Jerry Cremin and Margaret McCarthy.

Sightsavers winner: Carolyn O'Donovan, a pupil of Tirelton N.S., recently won the Sightsavers Junior Painter Awards 2011 National Awards with her painting 'Peace in the World'. She was presented with the award by Don Conroy and John Fleming in the National Botanic Gardens on Wednesday, 22nd February, a fantastic achievement for her and the school. She was one of 16 National Winners out of a total of 5,000 entries. Photographs can be seen on www.tireltonns.ie/pupils or on www.kilmichael.org

Macroom Lottos: No Jackpot winners again this week. In the Macroom GAA lotto the jackpot will stand at €4.200. Recent winners of €70 were Alice McSweeney and Don Lynch. In the Macroom Soccer Club draw the €80 main consolation prizes were won by B O'Keeffe c/o D Kelly and Michael Mungovan; the jackpot now stands at €3,000.

Lee Valley Updates

Coppeen Prepares for 41st St Patrick's Day Festival

For the 41st consecutive year, Coppeen St Patrick's Day committee is busy finalising plans for this year's parade and festival which is expected to be the biggest and the most colourful in the history of the event. Local organisations will compete to present the best float and win the top prize, the Tim Sheehan Perpetual trophy, and generous prize money. The parade will this year benefit from the inclusion of vintage cars tractors and motor bikes, which will bring extra colour and excitement to the whole event. A new and exciting extension to the 2012 festival is a busking competition that is strongly supported by the organising committee, with the provision of €200 in prize money. Other important aspects of the festival program include children's sports, the loft of the bowl, horseshoe pitching, bowl pitching, best spray of shamrock, best dressed lady for St Patrick's Day and a host of other attractions. St Patrick's Day this year falls on a Saturday, which will make the festival a week - end event, allowing sufficient time to ''wet the shamrock' to celebrate Coppeen's long St Patrick's Day history and tradition. Bí ann gan teip Lá 'le Pádraig, 3p.m. sa Chaipín

Clondrohid Updates

Showstoppers are back in Clondrohid Community Hall on April 10, 12, 13, 14 with 'O What a night', a truly wonderful show with numbers from Les Mis, Jersey Boys and The Blues Brothers. Pre-booking is recommended at 086/8575153 after 3pm from March 20. To date the group has given over €23,500 to charity and this year's nominated charity is Build 4 Life Cystic Fibrosis. Rehearsals are in full swing under the watchful eye of producer, Catherine Long and a host of volunteers are on hand to erect a young man board and fit a new stage extension. Showstoppers will be taking part in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Macroom so come along and join them! Cancer Research Fundraiser: Clondrohid is once again taking to the roads for Cancer. Remember the date Saturday March 31. Come out and support this great cause, and have some fun while so doing. The run, jog or walk will start at the G.A.A. grounds at 3pm and proceed to Carriganima and back. Later that evening there will be entertainment and raffle in the local Tavern. Contact 021 4544400 or 0872420735.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day: This year St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday and Carriganima will hold off till Sunday March 18 to hold their parade. A great turnout with plenty entertainment will be the order of the day. So come along and support a small community. There will be music and dancing later in the evening. Marion and Sledge provide the music at the Bell Inn on St. Patrick's night. Taxi service available.

G.A.A. Bishop McEgan College senior football team went through to the Munster V.E.C. Senior "C" Final which was held in Charleville on March 8 .They met St. Michael's Community College from Kilmihill Co. Clare. Eleven of the fifteen players who started were from Clondrohid, a great achievement for one parish. They played well and it was a good game with class football being played. McEgan College were four points ahead when unfortunately St. Michael's ended up winning by one point. Well done to all the players for getting to the final. On Monday March 19, the U.14 footballers will play Whites cross in Whites cross at 4.30pm. Check locally in case of any change.

Masterchef Finalist Cooks at Mills Inn

Masterchef finalist contestant, Christine O'Sullivan, showed off her culinary skills with 5 nights of cooking demonstrations at The Mills Inn Ballyvourney. Christine based her demos on healthy, nutritious eating and covered lots of easy and simple dishes in her 5 theme nights .First night consisted of a three course Dinner Party; the second night dealt with Healthy Options; third night went Italian and fourth night was Classic French Cuisine. What was great about each night is that the 60 people attending the cooking demo got tasters from each course and Christine made it so personal. On the fifth and final night she surpassed herself, cooking up a 4 course mouthwatering and quirky dinner for all her students. All wines on the night were sponsored by Christy Wines. Also attending was Chilean wine producer and expert, Javier Paredes from "Torreon De Paredes" who has built a strong business relationship with the Mills. Torreon De Paredes is a small wine producer; their wines are young, fresh and well-structured, with intense fruit aromas. The Mills Inn is proud to announce the launch of their Food & Wine club. To join: contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Mills Inn kitchen will now be sourcing all their beef from the O'Leary family farm. John O'Leary, Don's brother, will be supplying the Mills with his Angus beef which will be hung for 30 days and butchered by Siopa De Róiste, Ballyvourney. The quality and taste of this Black Angus beef is really special and is tender & succulent.

Changing Times at St. Lachteen's

When the school doors opened on March 1st at St. Lachteen's N.S., Donoughmore, some familiar faces were missing. Anne O'Hanlon, a teacher in the school since 1973 and Siobhan O'Connell, a teacher in the school since 1980, had retired. Carl O'Brien, the Principal for 5 years, was also now in his new school, the North Mon. An era had surely come to an end. For it is true to say that generations of boys and girls in the Donoughmore area have fond memories of all these teachers in the school. Indeed the school pulled out all the stops to mark their departures, with special school assemblies and presentations, small gestures to mark the departure of the much loved teachers. Although staff and pupils greatly miss Anne, Siobhan and Carl, they equally welcome to the school new faces. In fact the school is delighted to welcome Colm Horgan, Micheál McSweeney and Caitrín Murphy to the staff. The school is especially excited at the appointment of Deirdre Kelleher as Principal. Deirdre, who lives in the parish of Donoughmore, has been with the school for the last ten years and her knowledge of the pupils, her enthusiasm for the curriculum and her dedication to the school is already seen in her plans for the school progressing forward. Indeed for anyone interested in finding out more about St Lachteen's, they are hosting an open night on March 27th at 7pm to which all are welcome.

Confirmation at Farran

On Feb. 29th the children in 6th class in Ovens and Farran National schools were confirmed by Bishop Coveney in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farran. Scoil Naomh Muire Farran has a long tradition where the children who received their Confirmation come in to school the following day dressed up in their "Confirmation Clothes" and mid morning, the entire school population assembles in the hall and the 'strong and perfect Christians' take to the catwalk for a mini fashion show. In 2012, two past pupils of the school attended the fashion show - Cherifa was doing work experience as part of transition year and Liadh was doing teaching practice. Both girls have warm memories of their Confirmation day and showing off the fashions on the following day.

Agri-Food again on WCDP Menu

West Cork Development Partnership (WCDP) is pleased to announce that funding is now available to support the creation and development of agri-food enterprises in West Cork. Funding at a rate of 40% and up to a maximum value of €200,000 is available to micro, small and medium enterprises adding value to agri-food products. This is a reversal of the E.C. decision in early 2011 to exclude Leader support/ grant aid for such enterprise. However, on March 5, it was announced that €5 million was allocated to the sector for 2012/2013 - not a huge amount for the entire country, so the WCDP is encouraging businesses with project proposals to get in contact with Development Officer Kevin Santry, on 023 8834035 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., at their earliest convenience. Mr. Santry declared that: "The announcement is particularly exciting given the fact that it opens the door for us to offer supports to small and medium businesses in the food sector as well as micro-enterprises. I would definitely be encouraging food enterprises in West Cork that are looking to invest in their business to get in touch with me as soon as possible."

SMILE Resource Exchange Welcomes 500th Member

SMILE Resource Exchange reached a significant milestone by welcoming its 500th member to the initiative for businesses that encourages the exchanging of resources in order to save money, reduce waste going to landfill and to develop new business opportunities - based on the concept that "one person's waste could be another's resource". Adhesives Research Ireland, the milestone member, was welcomed at an innovative business networking event at Castlemartyr Resort, which was attended by over 50 businesses from a huge variety of sectors in the Cork region and further afield, all with the common purpose of forming alliances that will see their businesses help the environment and save them money. Ger Harte of Adhesives Research Ireland said "As developers and manufacturers of high-performance, pressure-sensitive adhesives, tapes, specialty coatings, films, and laminates, we at Adhesives Research had been looking at alternatives to sending our unused PET liner on rolls to landfill. Upon visiting the SMILE Resource Exchange website we realised there was potential for us to make exchanges with other businesses, providing them with a product that was no longer of use to us but that they could use to benefit their business in some way, and so we decided to come along today and find out how. We are delighted to be the 500th business to sign up. It's so positive that, in less than two years, SMILE has developed to a stage where it now has 500 members, the majority of which have made exchanges in some capacity and seen direct benefits to their business – so many satisfied members can't be wrong!"

SMILE (Saving Money through Industry Links and Exchanges) Resource Exchange was piloted in Cork in 2010 and has expanded into Kerry, Limerick and Clare regions in 2011. While SMILE aims to save businesses money, it also helps to identify economic opportunities out of turning a waste into a resource. At the latest event, there were a number of businesses in attendance who make products out of waste items and who were looking for inspiration and ideas, as well as access to businesses with resources that they can use and in these cases, SMILE is the connector, helping them gain access to such businesses. SMILE Resource Exchange is project managed by Macroom E. For further information visit www.smileexchange.ie or call (026) 20520.

Have Your Say and win iPad

If you're living in West Cork and aged between 16 and 24, West Cork Development Partnership wants you to have your say on a range of issues including the quality and availability of youth services, volunteering, and what it's like to be young in your community. So as to develop a youth development strategy for the region, WCDP wants to hear your thoughts on the issues that matter to you to help us shape and deliver youth powered services that meet your needs and enhance your community. The survey takes just 10 minutes to complete, and if we reach 500 responses, we'll give away an iPad2 to one lucky entrant. You can take the survey at www.wcdp.ie/youthsurvey Don't forget to share it with your friends and thanks for taking the time to have your say. T: 023 883 4035 E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bookworms

11th Hour by James Patterson.

The very latest instalment from The Women's Murder Club. Here, Lindsay Boker is called on to investigate a series of bizarre murders - millionaire Chas Smith, who is mercilessly gunned down and the discovery of a series of headless victims whose bodies are found in the garden of a world-famous actor. A compelling read with a charismatic cast of characters.

Method: Preheat oven to 200C. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the cauliflower and cook for two minutes. Drain and place in a buttered ovenproof dish. Place the butter and flour into a saucepan and heat to melt the butter. Cook, stirring for one to two minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and simmer for two to three minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolks, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and flake the salmon into the sauce, stirring carefully. Pour over the cauliflower and top with the grated cheeses. Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Tip of the Month – Sow Onion Sets

Onions are typically grown from 'sets' (a fancy name for baby onions) rather than from seed. Sets are usually planted from mid March to mid April, depending on the weather and will take approx 5 months to mature. To plant your sets: firm the surface of the soil and plant the onion sets 4 inches apart in rows 9 inches apart. Push the set gently down in to the soil, leaving the tip just showing above the surface. If you have already bought your onion sets and are waiting for the weather to warm up a bit before planting, spread out the sets in a cool, well-lit place to prevent early sprouting. Onions can also be grown from seed but take a bit longer (but it's also a lot cheaper).

Macroom Motor Services U 21 Football Championship

Group One:

Naomh Aban 2 – 14 Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh 0 – 13 aet.

Naomh Abán and Béal Átha fought out a ding dong battle at Inchigeela to finish all square in normal time. Four points from Ben Shorten and one from Kevin Lynch gave Béal Átha a two point lead coming up to half time but then Colm Murphy, who had already scored all three points for N Abán, belted a penalty shot, awarded after a foul on Diarmuid Ó Liatháin, to the Béal Átha net to give his side a 1-3 to 0-5 interval lead. On the resumption, Ben Shorten quickly equalised and when Murphy kicked over a fine lead point for N Abán, Eanna Dineen equalised and then points from Shorten and Cian Dineen put Béal Átha into the lead at three quarter stage, 0-9 to 1-4. Jamie MacGiollaBride and Colm Murphy had the Baile Mhúirne men level by the 21st minute and then Murphy kicked a free to put the boys in blue ahead. In the final minutes, two Ciarán Noonan runs forwards yielded frees for Béal Átha which Ben Shorten converted to put his side in front as the game went into injury time but Colm Murphy rescued Naomh Abán with a point from a free in the 32nd minute and sent the game into 20 minutes of extra time, Béal Átha 0-11 to 1-8 for N Abán.

After staying with the fancied Éire Óg side for much of the first half, Iveleary conceded 1-1 in the two minutes before the interval and Éire Óg led by 1-6 to 0-2 at the break. Kevin Hallissey was the goal scorer for the Ovens side and John Dineen got four of the points tally. On the resumption, Iveleary took up the running for a period and three points in a row had the deficit down to four points but then Hallissey struck for his second goal to restore Éire Óg dominance and in the final quarter the winners got well on top and ran out convincing winners. David Hourihan got a fine goal for Iveleary but there was no danger of a reversal of the outcome.

Group Outcome: Undefeated Éire Óg win the group and qualify for the A championship semi final. Iveleary and Naomh Abán, who drew their group game, must play off with the winners qualifying for the B semi final and the losers in the C semi final. Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh and Kilmichael will compete in the D championship.

Group Two:

Cill na Martra 1 – 16 Inniscarra 1 – 4

In a rather one sided game in Group Two, Cill na Martra led at half time by 0-9 to 0-3 and never lost their grip on proceedings. A goal from Shane Dineen added to the big tally of points contributed mainly by Kevin Hoare, Shane Dineen, Daire Mac Lochlainn and Don Creedon. The Inniscarra goal came late in the game but was a deserved reward for their spirited efforts.

Group Outcome: Ballincollig win the group and progress as expected to the 'A' championship semi final. Ballinora finish second and are through to the 'B' championship semi final. Cill na Martra are C semi finalists and Inniscarra will compete in the D championship.

Group Three:

Canovee 1 – 13 Donoughmore 2 – 6

Canovee, still smarting after their defeat by Kilmurry a week earlier, were in no mood to suffer further defeat and booked their place in the B semi final with a determined and impressive performance against Donoughmore at Coachford. Canovee had a very good first quarter with Michael Deasy dominating midfield and Sean O'Connor and Darragh Ring a constant threat in attack. Canovee as a result led by 0-5 to 0-2 but the Donoughmore sideline then rearranged their defence to counter the threat and their fortunes took an upward turn with Mark Foley and John Chambers now steadying influences down the centre at the back and Darren Barrett and Colm O'Callaghan now emerging in attack and benefiting from the improved play of Daniel Forde at midfield. A goal for Donoughmore from Gearóid O'Rourke had the sides level in the 18th minute and even though Darragh Ring again put Canovee into the lead with a point, Donoughmore responded with a second goal, this time Shane Healy finishing to the Canovee net with a powerful kick. Donoughmore were now on top, Daniel Forde and Colm O'Callaghan added points to a single reply from Mark Verling for Conovee and Donoughmore led at the interval by 2-4 to 0-7.

On the resumption, Daragh Ring and Daniel Forde exchanged points from frees and Canovee then began to regain the upper hand. John Buckley had a point from play and Aidan Deasy pointed a free in the 48th minute to leave only the minimum between the teams. Two minutes the sides were level when Darragh Ring kicked over the Donoughmore bar but Donoughmore came back once again and Daniel Forde pointed a free to put his side in front once again. Canovee were dictating the outfield play however and the pressure eventually told. Sean O'Connor's point levelled matters and Daniel O'Sullivan pointed to put Canovee in front and to copper fasten the victory, Mark Verling slammed the ball to the Donoughmore net after the goalkeeper had blocked but could not hold a Darragh Ring free. Canovee: Darragh Shine: Donal Cronin, Jerry Lucey, William Ahern: Daniel O'Sullivan, Damien Ahern, Stephen Kelleher: Paul Twomey, Michael Deasy: Mark Verling, Sean O'Connor, Charles Kenneally: Cathal O'Carroll, Darragh Ring, Aidan Deasy. Sub: John Buckley. Donoughmore: Daniel Buckley: Kevin Horgan, Stephen Looney, Alan Twomey: John Chambers, Mark Foley, Barry Crowley; Daniel Forde, Stephen O'Connor: Sean Daly, Colm O'Callaghan, Shane Healy: Anthony Horgan, Darren Barrett, Gearoid O'Rourke. Subs: William Murray, Mark Looney. Referee: Mr Ted Hayes, Éire Óg.

Group Outcome: Kilmurry, unbeaten in their three games, advance to the A semi final. Canovee finish second and go through to the B semi final and Cill na Martra, in third place, go into the C semi final, with Grenagh competing in the D championship.

Group Four:

Aghabullogue 1 – 15 Blarney 0 – 9

Aghabullogue completed their group programme unbeaten with a victory over Blarney at Ballyanley. Aghabullogue led by 0-9 to 0-5 at the break and had control in the second half. A goal from John Corkery eased any pressure they came under from a plucky Blarney side that missed some good chance during the game.

Macroom 2 – 7 Blarney 1 – 6

This game was played under lights at Cloughduv two days after the defeat of De La Salle in the Corn Ui Mhuiri final. The night was cold, wet and generally miserable and the football was on a par despite the closeness of the scores all through. Forward play in particular left much to be desired and if Blarney had possessed even one scoring forward they could have won this game.

Macroom opened brightly and Tony Dineen had a point in the first minute, and set up a terrific goal from Andrew Hegarty a minute later. James Cotter in goal for Macroom saved brilliantly in the 10th minute but Blarney were improving all over the field and scoring three points in a row was their reward. In a rare attack Macroom hit back with a second goal in the 20th minute, Michael Browne forcing the ball over the Blarney line with the help of Darren Creed but Blarney replied quickly with a goal from the penalty spot and followed with a point to level the scores at 1-4 to 2-1 five minutes from the interval. Macroom finished the half well with points from David Horgan and Tony Dineen to lead by 2-4 to 1-4 at the break.

On the restart, two points from Blarney were followed by points from Andrew Hegarty and Michael Browne for Macroom to still leave a goal between the teams at the three quarter stage. Blarney now missed several fine chances from play and from frees and Macroom were thankful for the strong performance of Darren Kelly at full back. The only other score was a point from a David Horgan free six minutes from time to ease the situation for the winners. Blarney did not score at all in the final twenty minutes and paid the price. Macroom: James Cotter: James O'Connor, Darren Kelly, Kieran Kiely: Barry Healy, Trevor Horgan, Darragh Crowley: Tony Dineen, Colm Casey; Michael Browne, Andrew Hegarty, Darren Creed: David Coptter, David Horgan, Denis Quinlan. Subs: Noel Murphy, Darren McKenna, Michael Cronin, Darren Burns.

In their final group game Macroom defeated Clondrohid at Rusheen, thus recording their third victory. Macroom led at half time by 2-4 to 0-2, Andrew Hegarty again being the main threat in attack with 2-1 to his credit. Macroom remained in control in the second half. Macroom: Dylan Dineen: James O'Connor, Colm Casey, Noel Murphy: Darragh Crowley, Trevor Horgan, Barry Healy: Tony Dineen, David Cotter: Michael Cronin, Andrew Hegarty, David Horgan: Darren Creed, Adam Gray, Michael Browne. Subs: John Murphy, Shane Creedon, Darren Burns and Darren McKenna.

Group Outcome: Aghabullogue are through to the A championship semi final. Macroom are the B championship semi finalists. Blarney and Clondrohid must play off to decide who qualifies for the C championship semi final and Aghinagh will be contesting the D championship along with the losers in the play off game.

Kilmurry's great run came to an end at the semi final stage of the 'A' championship when Ballincollig had too much all round strength for one of the surprise packets of this year's competition when the teams met at Ovens. Kilmurry started very well and with Greg Barrett in fine form at full forward they had Ballincollig in all sorts of trouble early on. Greg Barrett and Jonathan Buckley had points to give them a 0-2 to 0-1 lead but Ballincollig rearranged their defence to dilute the threat and they had the resources to do this successfully. Jason McDonnell did very well to avert a Ballincollig goal but the satellite town boys were getting on top and two points were followed by a goal from Brian O'Connor who scored after an earlier attempt had been well saved by McDonnell. Two more points for Ballincollig were answered by an Alan O'Sullivan point for Kilmurry and at half time the winners led by 1-5 to 0-3. In the second half, Ballincollig added a further point but then Kilmurry hit back with a ferocious rally which rocked the town team and left only a point between the teams. Greg Barrett pointed three frees for Kilmurry and Paudie O'Connell had a point from play to leave the score at 1-5 to 0-7 and Kilmurry in with every chance. Alas for Kilmurry, they conceded the next score to Ballincollig rather unluckily and from then on the winners gained control. They piled on the pressure, and the points, and Greg Barrett's point for Kilmurry was the only reply. Defeat then for Kilmurry but they showed just why they had won their group registering victories over Donoughmore, Canovee and Grenagh in the process. Kilmurry: Jason McDonnell: Mark Cullinane, Kevin Barrett, Paul Kearney: Adam Healy, Stephen Down, Robert Cahalane: Colm Ryan, Colm Crowley: Jonathan Buckley, Alan O'Sullivan, Daniel Buckley: Paudie O'Connell, Greg Barrett, Liam Ryan. Sub: Padraic Berhanu Referee: Mr David Murnane, Macroom.

Éire Óg 1 – 13 Aghabullogue 0 – 15

The second semi final of the 'A' championship was played at Cloughduv and was a great contest with the issue in doubt to the final whistle. Éire Óg, the holders, were the favourites but anyone who had seen Aghabullogue play in the group stage was certain that the boys in green and white could accredit themselves well against anyone and they did. With only three minutes to play Aghabullogue hit the front with a Michael O'Sullivan point and it took late points from Kevin Hallissey and Cathal Murphy to keep Éire Óg's hopes of a second successive title alive. The only goal of the game was a goal of quality, John Dineen lobbing the 'keeper from a very tight angle in the 38th minute and in the final analysis, this was the vital score of the game.

Aghabullogue had carried the game to Éire Óg from the throw-in and points from John Corkery, Pat Walsh, Corkery again and Michael O'Sullivan had them four points clear after 11 minutes and they were playing with great dash and spirit. Kevin Hallissey got a badly needed point for Éire Óg in the 13th minute from a free and they improved greatly thereafter even though Aghabulogue were not wilting. Another Éire Óg point was followed by two for Aghabullogue before points from Hallissey and Dineen narrowed the deficit to two points by the 25th minute. Pat Walsh had another point for the challengers but Éire Óg replied with a brace before Aghabullogue had the final score of the first half, a point from Evan O'Sullivan, which gave his side a 0-8 to 0-6 interval lead.

Éire Óg were in brilliant form on the restart and scored 1-3 in the opening eight minutes, two points from Hallissey being followed by a Dineen point and then the goal from the same player to give Éire Óg a 1-9 to 0-8 lead. If spectators were expecting an Aghabullogue collapse they were in for a shock as Aghabullogue stayed in contention and then began to force the pace and four points in a row between the 18th and 26th minutes had them back level at 1-11 to 0-14. A terrific battle was now being witnessed and Michael O'Sullivan at last broke the deadlock with an Aghabullogue point in the 28th minute. Kevin Hallissey levelled for Éire Óg almost immediately and Cathal Murphy sent over a sweet winner in the dying seconds of an excellent sporting encounter which was a credit to both teams and all associated with them. Éire Óg: John McCarthy: Ronan Dennehy, Denis O'Keeffe, Colm Murphy: Ciaran McKenna, Sean O'Connor, Michael O'Shea: Fionn O'Rourke, Ciaran Hutchinson: Daniel O'Connor, Kevin Hallissey, Fintan Brennan: Aonghus McCarthy, Vincent Coffey, John Dineen. Subs; Daniel O'Shea, Cathal Murphy, Cillian Murphy. Aghabullogue: Mark O'Flynn: Alan Hogan, Eamonn Murphy, Anthony O'Sullivan: Stephen Dennehy, Mark Long, Sean O'Sullivan: Aidan BarryMurphy, Michael Dennehy: Ian McSweeney, Pat Walsh, Evan O'Sullivan: Ciaran Barrett, Michael O'Sullivan, John Corkery. Subs: James Lynch, Peter Osullivan. Referee: Mr Peter Downey, Inniscarra.

'B' Football Championship semi final:

Canovee 1 – 13 Ballinora 1 – 6

The first of the 'B' championship semi finals was played at Ballyanley and Canovee again showed that they are the team to beat in this competition as they gave another impressive performance against strong opposition. Canovee started well and points from Sean O'Connor, James Moynihan and Darragh Ring had them off to a good start. Ballinora fought back however with two points but Canovee replied with a point from Ring and a goal from Sean O'Connor to put themselves in a strong position. In the ten minutes before half time Ballinora outscored Canovee by four points to two, Darragh Ring scoring for Canovee who thus led by 1-7 to 0-6 at the break. Ballinora had rearrange their defence by this stage to good effect but they weakened their attack as a consequence and this was fatal to their chance s in the second half. Ballinora only had one score in that second period, a goal, to leave the score at 1-9 to 1-6 midway through the half but Canovee went on to have an impressive last quarter and added three points, all from Aidan Deasy '45's and a point from play from Daniel O'Sullivan. Canovee: Darragh Shine: Donal Cronin, Jerry Lucey, William Ahern: Charles Kenneally, Damien Ahern, Stephen Kelleher: Paul Twomey, Michael Deasy: Aidan Deasy, Sean O'Connor, James Moynihan: Mark Verling, Darragh Ring, Daniel O'Sullivan. Sub: John Buckley, Cathal O'Carroll.

'C' Football Championship semi final:

Cill na Martra 1 – 11 Donoughmore 1 – 9

Joy for Cill na Martra and gloom for Donoughmore and a most disappointing end to an U 21 campaign for which they must have had high hopes after the highs of last season when they really rattled Éire Óg in a gripping 'A' championship final. Conditions at Carrigadrohid were excellent and the game started brightly with Shane Healy and Kevin Hoare exchanging points and Gearóid O'Rourke slotting home a goal for the northern side after 8 minutes. Don Creedon and Kevin Hoare then had Cill na Martra points, before Barry Crowley had a point for Donoughmore who led by 1-2 to 0-3 as the first quarter ended. There was a burst of scoring in the six minutes before half time. Shane Dineen got a goal for the Gaeltacht side which was followed by points from Shane Dineen and Daire McLoughlin. Colm O'Callaghan scored twice for Donoughmore and in the final minute, Shane Dineen had a point for the winners to give them a 1-6 to 1-4 interval lead.

There was disappointment for De La Salle at Killarney when they went under to Corcha Dhuibhne after producing a below par performance. The Cork boys won the toss but played against the very strong wind and when they conceded an avoidable goal in the 15th minute they were 1-4 to 0-2 in arrears and under pressure. At half time the Dingle side were leading by 1-7 to 0-3 and in fairness to De La Salle, they fought well on the resumption and had got the deficit back to 1-7 to 0-7 by the three quarter stage. An exchange of points followed to keep the goal between the teams but De La Salle were not sparking in attack and the Kerry boys came back in the closing minutes to add 1-2 to their tally and give the final scoreline an unflattering appearance. It was a disappointing end to what had been a memorable season for De La Salle but these things happen and there is always a fresh challenge ahead for young people. De La Salle: Dylan Dineen (Macroom): Sean Kelleher (Aghinagh), Darren Kelly (Macroom), Kevin Manning (Iveleary): Sean O'Sullivan (Aghabullogue), Sean O'Leary (Iveleary), Finbarr Buckley (Kilmichael): Cathal Vaughan (Iveleary), Peter Kelleher (Kilmichael): Padraic Berhanu (Kilmurry), James Moynihan (Canovee), Patrick Lucey (Macroom): John Murphy (Macroom), Daniel Twomey (Kilmichael), David Horgan (Macroom). Subs: Barry O'Leary (Iveleary) Used and Dermot O'Callaghan (Aghinagh), Adam Healy (Kilmurry), Robert Cahalane (Kilmurry), Michael Cronin (Macroom), Ciaran Noonan (Beal Atha'n Ghaorthaidh), Shane Foley (Kilmichael), Michael Dunne (Canovee), Brendan Cotter (Kilmichael), Liam Kearney (Iveleary), Daniel Cahalane (Kilmurry), Daniel McSweeney (Clondrohid), David Murphy (Iveleary). The team was prepared by School Principal Noel Dunne and staff member Eric Graham.

Allianz National Football League

Cork have been busy in the league, losing away to Donegal and winning away to Laois in recent weeks. They play Kerry on Sunday 18th March in Cork in a big test of their current standing. Noel O'Leary of Cill na Martra, Fintan Goold, Eoin O'Mahony and Sean Kiely of Macroom have been seeing action for Cork.

Fitzgibbon Cup – Intervarsity Hurling

U.C.C. hosted the 100th Fitzgibbon Cup finals at the Mardyke and won a thriller against CIT in extra time. Inniscarra's John O'Callaghan was a member of the winning UCC team.

Macroom Juvenile GAA A.G.M.

Club officers are as follows for the 2012 season:

Chairman – Liam Linehan

Secretary – Michael Lynch

Treasurer – Stephen Buckley

PRO – Brendan Kenneally

Membership Officer – Joan Quinn

Macroom Juvenile G.A.A. Open Day will take place on Saturday, 24th March at 10:30am in the Castle Grounds. This is generally the day when all the next generation of 6 year old footballers join the club for the first time. All new players welcome. Contact: Liam Linehan.

U-8 Football team has commenced training since March 3 in the Boys National School at 10:30am. Diarmuid Holland is in charge of this team. We would like to see more children get involved with this team and should any parent wish for their child to get involved, please contact Diarmuid or any of the club officers.

The Under 10 football team has commenced training over the last couple of weeks in the Sports Complex on Saturday morning at 11a.m. Enda Kiernan is in charge. New children are welcome to participate.

Under 11 & 12 football training has commenced in Tom Creedon Park on Saturday mornings at 10:30am. Chris Donovan is the team manager.

Under 13 & 14 football training has resumed in Tom Creedon Park on a Thursday night at 7:30pm. for the foreseeable future and all new players are welcome.

lCounty League

Macroom Intermediate footballers head the county league division three league table after three games, their latest win in Kildorrery under lights being achieved on a 0-10 to 0-8 scoreline. With two players tied up with Cork and four more with De La Salle, the selectors had to work hard to get fifteen players on the field but they succeeded and the team gave a good display at a venue where Macroom wins are rare enough. Ger Angland and Pat Kelleher had early points, Tony Dineen and Conor O'Sullivan scored before half-time at which stage Kildorrery led by 0-7 to 0-4. Macroom played really well in the second half and points from Tony Dineen, Conor O'Sullivan and Pat Kelleher brought them level at 0-8 each ten minutes from time. John Ryan pointed a free to put Macroom ahead and Andrew Hegarty had a late point to assure Macroom of the league points. Macroom: James O'Connell, Peter Lynch, John Angland, Ciaran Murphy, Gerard Angland, Rory Buckley, Michael Cahill, Sean Kiely, Tony Dineen, John Ryan, Andrew Hegarty, David Cotter, Conor O'Sullivan, Brian Tiernan, Pat Kelleher.

All Ireland Camogie

Coláiste Íosagáin, Stillorgan 3-7 St. Mary's, Macroom 0-4

St. Mary's travelled to Thurles on the 4th of March for the All-Ireland Final against Coláiste Íosagáin. Although they put up a great fight and didn't give up until the final whistle, the Dublin side proved to be too strong for the Macroom girls. Stillorgan got off to a great start with the help of a very strong wind. Within the first 10 minutes they had built up a lead of 1- 3 to no score. A well taken free from Anne-Marie Ryan got St. Mary's on the scoreboard after a series of attacks on the Stillorgan goal, but the Dubliners extended their lead with another goal and a point before St. Mary's registered another point on the scoreboard. Stillorgan ended the first half well, leading by 3-6 to 0-2. St. Mary's did not give up as Joanne Down responded with a point from play at the start of the second half. Stillorgan made many attacks on the St. Marys backs but the defenders did not let them through. St. Mary's were awarded a free and the centre forward Becky Hennigan slotted it over the bar. With only seconds remaining Stillorgan came down the field and scored the last point of the match. This left the score 3-7 to 0 -4.

Macroom Soccer

Premier A: Knockavilla 2 Macroom 6

Macroom A recorded their first win of the season, defeating Knockavilla away 6-2. Macroom went into the break with a three goal advantage, thanks to two goals from Stephen Casey, both assisted by Conor O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan then got his goal, after being set up by Patrick Burns. Knockavilla got one back after the break, before Macroom made the game safe. First Michael O'Brien got a bullet header from a corner, before William O'Riordan teed up Darragh Crowley to finish. O'Riordan then got the sixth with a sweet strike.

AUL 2: Macroom B 4 Blackpool Celtic 0

Macroom B continued their ascent up the table, as Denis Canty hit a hatrick to help Macroom B record a 4-0 win at the Town Park. The home side flew out of the blocks, scoring twice inside the first ten minutes. Macroom got their third on 51. A fine strike from Pat Kelleher was blocked down by Billy Murphy, but Canty was first to the loose ball, before arrowing a volley into the bottom corner to complete his hatrick. Macroom grabbed a fourth on 68, when Fitzgerald fed Michael Browne on half way, and he raced clear of the Blackpool defence before superbly chipping the onrushing Matthews to put the result beyond doubt. Macroom: John Angland, David Murnane, Frank Kiely, John Ronan, Pat Kelleher, Sean Kelleher, Denis Canty, Cathal Prendeville, Barry Fitzgerald, Michael Browne, Barry Healy. Subs: Chris Browne, Alan O'Connor, Darren O'Brien, Conor O'Leary

Athletics

The opening meeting Indoor Track session was held in Nenagh, when the Munster Indoor Championship were held over two days. West Muskerry AC had three athletes in competitions and all three came home with silver medals – a great achievement in the first meeting of the year and an encouraging start for all in the club. Grainne Moynihan competed in girls U19 60m and 200m. Grainne was happy with her silver medal in the 60m (time 7.82 seconds) and despite making a few errors in the 200m race she still managed to finish in second place in a time of 26.23 seconds. Grainne will be hoping to improve on these times in the All-Ireland in late March. Kevin O'Dwyer competed in the boys' U16 long jump and 200m. A jump of 5.65 metres earned a delighted Kevin the silver medal, this being more than 50cm better than his previous personal best. Eoin Walsh competed in the boys' U17 60m and 200m. Eoin ran a fantastic 60m final and finished just outside the medals in fourth place. In the 200m he gave a great performance and was well deserving of his silver medal. All three athletes will be competing in the All-Ireland later in the month. Club member Megan Moynihan, a student in Dublin City University, was competing in the Winfer Throws Cup in Dunboyne, Co Meath and was pleased with her throw of 42 metres in the hammer competition.

All-Star award: West Muskerry's Grainne Moynihan was accorded an AAI All-Star award for Cork in Athlone. The award was in recognition of Grainne's outstanding achievements in 2011 and was well deserved. All her clubmates in West Muskerry AC were delighted that Grainne is getting the recognition for her ability and dedication.

Kilmurry Underage News

U8 training is due to commence on Sunday March 25th in Kilmurry GAA club. Anyone interested should be present at 11.00 on the day. Enquires to Tim Irwin.

The U10 team commenced training in Kilmurry hall on Sunday March 4th. A large group of players were in attendance and were put through their paces by Team Coaches, Denis O'Donoghue and DD O'Mahony. Training is scheduled for every Sunday between 11.00 am and 12.00. All are welcome to attend.

U16: Kilmurry U-16 team took on Kinsale as part of the Eastern Division League. Kilmurry ran out easy winners on a score line of 5-10 to 1-3. Kilmurry's forward line of Sean Warren, Joseph Ryan and Colm Hannon caused all sorts of problems for Kinsale, with Joseph Ryan proving to be particularly dangerous with an personal tally of 3-5. The danger posed by the forwards was balanced in defence where Kilmurry's backline of Padraig Hinchion, Sean Curzon and Marco Healy put in fine performances as did goal keeper Colin Casey.

Kilmurry Underage club would like to congratulate the five players who were part of the De La Salle team who contested the Corn Uí Mhuirí final on Sunday March 4th. Unfortunately the game did not go the way of the Macroom side. Nevertheless, those involved were a source of great honour and pride for their club. The Kilmurry players were Padraig Berhanu, Adam Healy, Robert Cahalane, Daniel Cahalane and Padraig Grainger.

Lee Valley Basketball

Mar 3rd in Macroom

U12B Lee Valley 26 St. Anthony's 6

Lee Valley took the upper hand in this game from the start with lay-ups from Joanne Kelly and Meav Barry. Aideen Buckley had a good game and great scores. Katie Ronan and Sarah Doyle both set up some fine scores for their team mates. Kate Brady and Miriam Murnane worked well in defence as did Niamh Walsh. Caoimhe O'Driscoll showed some good ball carrying skills, weaving in to score some lay-ups.

The final score did not reflect the effort of the St. Anthony's team.

U14B Lee Valley 27 St. Anthony's 22

This was a close match with St. Anthony's taking the lead in the first quarter. Lee Valley's Orla Hannon scored some fine lay-ups as did Saoirse McCarthy. Both Brionnagh Healy and Aine Barry were quick on the rebounds. Aoife Doyle and Victorai Bulinska played well in defence. Bríd Óg McSwiney had good ball control and also scored some lay-ups. Lee Valley won by 5 points. Well done to both teams.

U16B Lee Valley 25 Carrig na bhFear 42

This match started well for both teams but Carrig na bhFear pulled ahead in the second quarter. The Lee Valley girls did their best to catch up and there was great play from both teams. For Lee Valley, Sarah Beth O'Mullane had a great game. Siofra Burgoyne did brilliant defending, as did Elaine O'Brien and Suzanne Barry and Lauren Buckley was top scorer for Lee Valley.

U18B Lee Valley 26 Carrig na bhFear 31

This match started off well for both teams and lovely basketball from all the girls. Carrig na bhFear pulled ahead in the third quarter and Lee Valley came back in the fourth quarter but just left it too late. For Lee Valley Yvonne Burgoyne got some lovely lay-ups and played a great game. Emma Healy and Michelle McCarthy did some great defending; so did Jean O'Sullivan and Meabh Hourihan who had good height for intercepting the ball. Jessica O'Mullane and Rebecca Barry defended brilliantly on the top of the zone.

Kilmichael Pitch and Putt

The Club League, which ran for four weeks in good weather conditions, concluded recently. Team A consisting of Maureen Foley, Colm Healy, Dan Foley, Michael Dunlea, Sean O'Leary and P.J. Curtin were the winners with some points to spare. The Overall Gross was won by Dan Kiely, and the Overall Nett by Christine Swanton.

Forthcoming competitions: Until further notice fourballs will continue at 2.30 pm on Sundays. On Sunday 25th March a Club Singles will commence at 10.30am. On Sunday 22nd April the Club Strokeplay will be contested.